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JAMESTOWN TOWER. 



COLONIAL CAPITALS 

of the DOMINION 

of VIRGINIA 




By MARY L. FOSTER 
Williamsburg, Va. 



BRIEF HISTORICAL SKETCHES AND TRADITIONS OF 
JAMESTOWN, WILLIAMSBURG, YORKTOWN AND 
THEIR VICINITY ILLUSTRATED WITH A MAP AND 
PHOTOGRAPHS K>K*K>K*K>K>K*K>K>K>K> 



<i 



UNO AVULSO NON DEFICIT ALTER" 



, 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 1 
Two Copies Received [ 

NOV 7 1906 

Copyright Entry 

CLASS A XXc, No, 

COPY B. 



J. P. BELL COMPANY, INC. 
PBINTEBS, 
LYNCHBUBG, VA. 

Copyright, 1«0« 
By MARY L. FOSTER 



prrfare 




1ST giving this little volume of sketches to 
the public, it has been the author's pur- 
pose to describe the historic ruins and 
buildings as they appear at the present 
time, and at the same time to make them 
as original and pleasing as possible by 
lightening their history with the anec- 
dotes and traditions which have been 
handed down throughout the years. 

The information as to the original sites and grants made 
to the early inhabitants of Jamestown has been largely de- 
rived from "The Site of Old 'James Towne,' 1607-1698," 
by Samuel H. Young. The author wishes to express her 
indebtedness also to Dr. Lyon G. Tyler and Eev. W. A. R. 
Goodwin for assistance rendered in "The Cradle of the Re- 
public," William and Mary College Quarterlies, and the 
"Historical Sketch of Bruton Church," and with grateful 
appreciation to acknowledge the kindness of Dr. J. Leslie 
Hall, through whose hands the proof sheets have passed. 

Mary L. Foster. 



Irirtraiimt 



®o iig i!o%r, 

jooo Ijaa b^tt mg tttaotraitott atto gutto, 

ttjta Utile book ta 

affertionaiphj orotrafro. 



INDEX 



PAGE 

Audrey's House 46 

Baptist Church 71 

Bassett Hall 71 

Black Swamp 9«> 

Blair House 54 

Brafferton Building 52 

Brick Hotel 70 

Bruton Church 55 

Carter's Grove 90 

Cary House ^4 

Court House 66 

Debtor's Prison 66 

Dunmore's Cave 64- 

Eastern State Hospital 87 

Fort Magruder ~ 9- 

Tour-Mile-Tree House 36 

Greenspring %' 

House of Burgesses • 'J} 

Houses— Old 71 

Jamestown 9 

Masonic Temple |6 

Martha Washington's Kitchen 89 

Palace Green 63 

Powder Horn "7 

President's House 53 

Baleigh Tavern 73 

Randolph, Edmund — House $* 

Randolph, Peyton — House 83 

Randolph, Sir John— House °4 

Six Chimney Lot °» 

Tazewell Hall °4 

Temple Farm 1JJ 

Theatre °J 

The Virginia Gazette °o 

Werowocomoco a<± 

Williamsburg j~ 

William and Mary College *£ 

Wythe House • °5 

Yorktown ■ y/ 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



Jamestown Tower .....Frontispiece 

|| k\i OPP. PAGE 

House Kuins at Jamestown 29 

William and Mary College 47 

Blair House ... 54 

Bruton Church 55 

Bruton Churchyard 60 

Dunmore's Cave... 64 

Wythe House 65 

Debtor's Prison 66 

Court House.... 66 

Powder Horn 67 

Old Masonic Temple 87 

Ruins of the House of Burgesses 75 

Bassett Hall 72 

Peyton Randolph's Home 84 

Tazewell Hall 84 

Cary Homestead.. 78 

Martha Washington's Kitchen 89 

Eastern State Hospital 87 

Moore House on Temple Farm 106 

Custis House in which Dinwiddie was Entertained 65 




"Ptmttd ranks* of tall nnld-djWM 

And bird] surround 
©ttf ftalf i?td solitary 

©Id imrmng ground. 

All ti|? loin toall is amino led 

Aito ourrgroutn, 
And Itt th ; t turf lies tumbled 

Htnne upon stone." 



Samfcsiotmt 



?f* ffj/f *k 




HE "ivy-mantled tower" keeps its solitary 
watch notwithstanding the storms of nearly 
three centuries. As the loop-holes in the 
tower suggest that probably it was built to 
be useful as well as ornamental by giving 
the first warning of an Indian attack to the 
lonely watcher on the inside, so now it is 
the first to greet the eye of the visitor on 
drawing near the historic landmark of the 
Nation's first capital. 



Hurattfltt 



The island is situated on the north side of James river, 
about 40 miles from its mouth. Ealph Hamor, one of the 
colony's early secretaries, gives its length about two and 
three-quarter miles, width about 300 yards to one and one- 
quarter miles. 

When the first landing was made the island was joined 
to the mainland by a narrow isthmus probably stretching 
across what is now called Sandy bay.* It was probably on 

*Map of "James Citty," Virginia, by Samuel Young. 



10 (Eoiotttai Capitals of tip 

the mainland side of this isthmus, about one mile from 
Jamestown, that the first glass factory in America was 
built in 1608. It is also separated from the mainland by 
Back river. A bridge across this river and a cart road 
through a part of Powhatan's Swamp lead to a picturesque 
drive of seven miles to Williamsburg. The island is approached 
by steamers plying daily from Kichmond and Norfolk, which 
stop at the wharf about 450 feet from the ancient tower ruin. 
This end of the island, including twenty-three acres, en- 
closed in a wire fence, is the very generous gift of Mr. and 
Mrs. Edward E. Barney to the Association for the Preserva- 
tion of Virginia Antiquities. It is to this Association that 
we are indebted for the care of the ruins and under whose 
auspices recent excavations have unearthed so much of inter- 
est to the student of history. Within the last year there 
has been completed a massive sea wall erected by the United 
States Government to protect the island from further en- 
croachments of the river. There is good reason for think- 
ing that only about twenty acres have been washed away, 
chiefly west of the tower, and that this was mostly a sub- 
urb of the village city. It is the end of the island belong- 
ing to the A. P. V. A/s that abounds mostly in historic 
associations and hallowed memories; where each bit of soil 
has a story to tell of 

"The past with all its passions 

Its toils and wiles, 
Its ancient follies, fashions, 

And tears and smiles. 



Dominion of Btroinia 11 



With thirsts and fever-rages, 
And ceaseless pains, 

Hoarding, as for the ages 
Its little gains!" 



These gains summed up through three centuries of exist- 
ence have made not only a glorious inheritance for us of 
the present, but an example and trust as well. 

A recent census of the United States shows the population 
to be 76,303,387. In striking contrast to this enormous 
figure is that of the little band of 54 gentlemen, four car- 
penters and 12 laborers, who on May 13, 1607, moored their 
boats the "Susan Constance," "Godspeed," and "Discovery," 
to the trees on the shore where the water was six fathoms 
deep. The "Susan Constance" was commanded by Christo- 
pher Newport, the "Godspeed" by the former explores*., 
Bartholomew Gosnold, the "Discovery" by John Eatcliffe — 
three small ships which bore across the Atlantic the founders 
of the American Nation. 

After nearly five months on the water it must have ap- 
peared as a beautiful dream sailing those 40 miles up the 
"Noble James." Those of us who have been fortunate enough 
to take the trip up this part of the river in May will never 
forget the wild beauty and coloring of the woods, where one 
reads history in the very landscape. Smith says, "Heaven 
and earth had never agreed better to make a place for man's 
habitation." The ground was spread with "'sweet and deli- 
cate flowers of divers colors and kinds" and the air was red- 
olent with their perfume. The woods on both sides of the 



12 GloUmtal (Hapitals of the 

river, as well as on the island, were thick with white and pink 
blossoms of dogwood, the cream of honeysuckle, and the red 
bloom of the Judas tree. The cherries were in full bloom 
and strawberries were so thick, "that it required very little 
time and effort to pick a basket full." The trees were of 
every shade of green from that in the baby leaves of the wild 
grape, to the rich dark of the ancient cedars. 



®I}£ San&tng 



He gives a vivid picture of their reception by the Indians 
in the following extract: "At night when we were going 
aboard there came the salvages creeping from the Hills like 
Beares, with their Bowes in their mouthes, charged us very des- 
perately, hurt Captain Gabrill Archer,* in both hands, and 
a Sayler in two places of the body very dangerous. After 
they had spent their arrows and felt the sharpness of our 
shot, they retired into the woods with a great noise and so 
left us." 

The original landing placef has been submerged 
but was probably 1,500 feet west of the present wharf, the 
nearest distance to the shore 450 feet. 

Having selected the spot on which to settle, the next morn- 
ing they began work. The first thing done was to stretch a 
sail across two trees, under which the good preacher Hunt 
held services each morning and evening. 

*First secretary or chronicler to the colony. 
fMap of "James Citty," Va., by Samuel Young. 



Summum of Utrgtttta 13 

On the journey over the sailors had quarreled with him, 
because his prayers had not kept away the storms. That 
he was good is clearly proven in Smith's own words. Telling 
of the fire which swept away everything the next year, he 
says, "Good Master Hunt, our preacher, lost all his library 
and all he had but the cloathes on his backe; yet none never 
heard him repine at his losse." It was this same "Master 
Hunt" who performed the first English marriage service in 
America, in December, 1608, when John Laydon (carpen- 
ter) and Anne Burrus (maid to Mrs. Forrest) were united 
in marriage. The groom was 27 and the bride 14 years of age. 
During the next year there was performed the first Episcopal 
baptismal service of an English child in America, that of 
Virginia Laydon. 

®ij£ Jfa#t Start (Eljttrdjtfis 

The first church was a "homely thing, like a barn, 
set upon crochets, covered with rafts, sedge and earth, 
as could neither well defend from wind nor raine/' 
It was burned with the rest of Jamestown about eight months 
after its erection. The second was built on the same site. 
It was in this that the wedding and baptism were celebrated. 
There is good reason for believing that these first two churches 
were built inside the first triangular fort constructed in 
1607. Two corners of this fort have disappeared by the abra- 
sion of the island. The third corner, probably located in the 
northwestern portion of the old Confederate breast-works, 
is still to be seen. When these breast-works were thrown 



14 (UoUimal (Eapiials of tip 

up during the Civil War, pieces of armor and weapons of 
the early Jamestown period were found. These entrench- 
ments are just above the tower ruin. Seen to-day, they 
are composed of several mounds showing where trenches 
were dug. Growing over it is a tangle of wild grape vines, 
honeysuckle, wild cherry, persimmon, and other trees indig- 
enous to the Virginia soil. 

Lord Delaware worshipped in the second church on 
his arrival in May, 1610. He was attended at service by 
a redcoated guard of honor, and sat is a velvet chair, with a 
cushion of the same fabric on which to kneel. 

We are told that the pews, chancel, pulpit, and windows 
were of cedar, which wood was very plentiful on the island. 
The communion table was of black walnut, and the "font 
hewn hollow like a canoe." The church was kept sweet and 
beautiful with wild flowers, freshly arranged every morning. 
The outer walls were plain and barn-like. Two bells in the 
steeple called the villagers to service morning and evening, 
each day in the week, for, as Smith says, "Men's affairs doe 
little prosper where God's service is neglected." The Rev. 
Eichard Buck, who came over with Sir Thomas Gates, 
preached the sermon the day of Delaware's arrival. He 
made "a zealous and sorrowful prayer," after which the gov- 
ernor gave a practical and interesting talk. The former was 
said to be a "verie good preacher." He married the Indian 
princess, Pocahontas, to John Eolfe, "a highly respectable 
young gentleman of Jamestown " (the fourth recorder for 
the colony). Rolfe was a widower whose first wife had died 



lomttwm nf Hirgittia 15 

since landing, or else in the Bermudas after the wreck of 
the "Sea Venture." His infant daughter, Bermuda, had 
been baptised and buried on the islands by Mr. Buck. Poca- 
hontas died in 1617, and as Rolfe was married the third time 
to Jane Pierce, the young daughter of the captain of the 
guards at Jamestown, it is very probable that he performed 
that ceremony also. It is most likely that the marriage of 
Pocahontas occurred in the second church, as the date of 
the ceremony was 1614, and the third church was built under 
Captain ArgalFs direction in 1617, the former building hav- 
ing been found in ruins on his arrival. It is commonly 
claimed that Pocahontas was baptised at Jamestown. An 
old letter written by Eev. Mr. Whitaker from Bermuda 
Hundreds to the Bishop of London, states that he had cate- 
chised and baptised the Indian girl under the Christian name 
of Eebecca. 

A Straggle fnr 1£x\Btmw 

The story of these first few years of the colony is that of 
a hard struggle for existence. Together with Indian at- 
tacks and death from fever and starvation, she came near 
sharing the fate of her sister colony at Roanoke. 

The houses were mostly thatched cabins, very frail and af- 
fording little protection from the weather. For the first year 
they drank the brackish water of the river. Later a well of 
"excellent sweet water" was dug inside the fort. An old 
well, supposedly this one, has been recently unearthed. Of 
the terrible "starving time" Smith tells us, "Our drink was 



16 (Eolmttal GkpUala of th? 

water and our lodgings castles in the air." 1 ' With a touch of 
irony he continues, "If we had been as free from all sins as 
from gluttony and drunkenness, we might have been cannon- 
ized for saints." To cap the climax, the guns were "fitter 
to shoot down our houses than to offend an enemie." 

When the gold fever seized the settlers, "there was no talk, 
no hope, no work, but dig gold, wash gold, refine gold, load 
gold," until a shipload sent to England was proved to be 
only yellow sand. 

During Dale's rule, about 1613, flogging and irons were 
the punishment inflicted for laziness. A poor thief, for steal- 
ing a little oatmeal, was tied to a tree and allowed to starve 
to death. 

It is narrated that a passport from the king for the return 
of a colonist to England was sewed in a garter, to insure its 
safe delivery. 

A story is told of three thieves to whom Philip II offered 
the choice of coming to Virginia, or death. Two availed 
themselves of the opportunity of coming over, but the third 
preferred to hang. 

The only real bit of romance which brightens the pages of 
history up to this period is that of the Indian maiden Matoa 
(Little Wanton), more familiarly known as Pocahontas, as 
it was a bad omen to tell her Indian name to strangers. Her 



lutttttttmt nf Btrgiwa 17 

friendship and love for Captain John Smith was very sweet 
and beautiful, and the old saying that "a friend in need is a 
friend indeed" was proved time and again during 
her brief young life. The story of her saving his life by 
placing her body between his and the clubs of the Indian 
braves, will never grow old. Numerous are the instances 
of her heroism. It was not an unusual sight to see her en- 
tering the town on a sunny morning with her "wild train of 
Indian boys and girls" loaded with baskets of corn for the 
starving settlers. After John Smith was wounded by the 
explosion, and returned to England, her absence from the 
town was conspicuous. In 1612 she was bought for a brass 
kettle from the Indian Japazaws, whose wife she was visit- 
ing, and was brought a prisoner to Jamestown. Here she 
was wooed and won by the handsome young widower, John 
Eolfe, and the wedding celebrated in the little church. 

In fancy we see the plain edifice made beautiful by the 
loving hands of the few women in the town, with flowers and 
running cedar. Eev. Richard Buck begins the ceremony: 
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight 
of God, and in the face of this company to join together 
this man and this woman in holy matrimony." ITe reads 
the beautiful marriage service of the Episcopal Church. 
At the question, "Who giveth this woman to be married to 
this man?" Opachisto, Powatan's brother, steps forward. 
Close to the altar the bride's two brothers are standing. 
Presently the words which join the untutored maid of the 
forest and the young Englishman are spoken. They pass 



18 (Uohmtal (Capitals of ttje 

down the aisle to "ever remain in perfect love and peace to- 
gether" as long as they both shall live. 

A pretty story is told of her meeting with Smith in Eng- 
land. It had been six years since they had seen each other, 
and instead of the pretty child he left, he saw a young matron 
of twenty, who had been introduced at court as the Lady 
Rebecca. There is ample reason for thinking that she be- 
lieved him dead. Great was her surprise on meeting him 
again. Her happiness was very evident. Smith told her it 
was not the proper thing for her to treat him as she had 
done in Virginia. He was very dignified himself, whereupon 
she put her hands to her face, and, beginning to cry, said it 
was very heartless for him to treat her so, she had called 
him '"Father" in Virginia, and she would do it now. This 
was their last meeting. A year later (1617) she died sud- 
denly as she was preparing to return to America. She was 
buried at Gravesend, England. 



Ibatlj nf B>mtii| 



Smith died the 21st of June, 1631, at the age of 52, and is 
buried in Saint Sepulchre's Church, London. 

His grave is under the church, in front of the chancel. 
Above it are two flat stones. On one of them is carved his 
coat-of-arms, three Turk's heads. On the other stone is the 
inscription : 

"Here lies one that hath conquered Kings, 
Subdued large territories and done things, 
Which to the world impossible would seem, 



immnum of Utrgtttta 19 



But that truth is held in more esteem. 

Shall I report his former services done 

In honor of his God and Christendon? 

How that he did divide from Pagans three 

Their heads and lives, types of his chivalry; 

For which great service in that climate done 

Brave Sigismondus, King of Hungarian, 

Did give him a Coat of Arms to wear 

These conquered heads got by his sword and spear. 

Or shall I tell of his adventures since 

Done in Virginia, that large continent. 

How that he sudued Kings unto his yoke, 

And made the Heathen flee as wind doth smoke, 

And made their land, being of so large a station, 

All habitation for our Christian Nation; 

Where God is Glorified, their wants supplied, 

Which else for necessaries must have dy'd. 

But what avails his conquest, now he lies 

Interred in earth a prey to worms and flies. 

O, may his soul in sweet Elysium sleep 

Until the keeper that all souls doth keep 

Return to judgment, and after thence 

With angels may have his recompence."* 



Ifcailj af Ualngij 



During the year 1618 Virginia lost another friend in Sir 
Walter Ealeigh. He had an abiding faith in the future of 
the colonies and said to Gosnold when imprisoned in the 
Tower, "I shall yet live to see Virginia a great Nation." 
Amazing faith ! Could he appear on the scene to-day, what 
a revelation it would be to him. Ascending the scaffold he 
felt the edge of the axe exclaiming, "This is a sharp medicine, 
but a sure cure for all diseases." 



* A rubber fac-simile is in the Powder Horn Museum in Wil- 
liamsburg. 



20 (Colonial (Capitala of % 

of u 

John Eolfe was the first Englishman to cultivate tobacco 
in Virginia. Such a well-paying industry had it become to 
the colonies, that in 1617 it was planted even along the 
streets. It sometimes sold in London for 10 s ($2.50) a 
pound, quite a difference when compared to the present 
price of six or seven cents. Even the ladies at "James 
Citty" went shopping with a cart of tobacco following, with 
which to pay for the few things to be brought home in a 
basket. The first wild turkeys ever seen in England were 
sent from Virginia, 

In 1619 a cargo of 90 English maidens was brought over. 
All the old bachelors 

"From thirty to sixty, — plain, fair, red and pale, 
Of every description — all flocked to the sale " 

and paid 120 pounds of tobacco for each young woman. As 
we linger, gazing up and down the pretty driveway along the 
river bank, we see through "a haze of dreams, bright maids 
and laughing lovers," as they hurry to and from the 
church where the Eev. Mr. Buck and his assistant have been 
kept busy tying "the knot there's no untying." So pleased 
and pleasing were the maidens, that fresh cargoes came over 
very shortly, and, in 1624, the Governor was obliged to pass 
a law threatening with punishment each fickle lass who 
should engage herself to more than one suitor at a time, 
thus proving that "feminine nature" is the same the world 
over, regardless of time or place. 



Homimott of Btnjittta 21 

It was these same dainty maidens whose extravagance in 
dress caused to be passed a law taxing the people according 
to their wearing apparel. We are told that even the cow- 
keeper at Jamestown was "accoutred in fresh naming silk." 
Evidently the old rhyme, 

"Needles and pins, needles and pins, 
When a man marries his trouble begins," 

was as true then as now. 

®h* ©hiru ©tturrlj 

In 1619 the third church was completed. It was built on 
the same site as that of the tower ruin. Eecent excavations 
have unearthed two parts of the original foundations. It is 
composed of "a footing of cobble stones one foot thick, capped 
by a one brick wall." The frail foundations testify that this 
church, too, was a light frame structure. These foundations 
can be seen just inside those of the original brick church. 
It was in this frame church, during the first year of its com- 
pletion, 1619, that Yeardley, believing the colonies should 
have "a handle in the government of themselves," called to- 
gether the first Legislative Assembly in America, thus laying 
the foundation for a representative system of government, 
which, beginning from a small malarial island in James 
river, to-day rules a country scarcely satisfied to claim 
the two oceans for its boundaries. The Eev. Mr. Buck, chap- 
lain of this first Assembly, offered in his opening prayer that 
it would please God "to guard and sanctifie all our proceed- 
ings to His own glory and the good of this plantation." 



22 doiimial (Eaptials of % 

intrnburtton #f §>lafamj 

During this same year (1619) a Dutch man-of-war sailed 
up the river, bringing twenty negroes, who were sold to the 
colonists. 

In reading the history of our country in chronological or- 
der we find that several months before the landing of the 
Pilgrims at Plymouth (1620) there had begun on the small 
Island of Jamestown, the first English civilization in the new 
world, the first English town and capital, the first glass 
factory and the first Episcopal Church in America had been 
built, the first English marriage and baptismal services had 
been solemnized, slavery had been introduced, and the first 
Legislative Assembly in this broad land had met. 

The numerous Indian attacks to which the colony was sub- 
jected, during the first 50 years of its history, force the 
thought that there was more truth than poetry in the old 
saying, "There is no good Indian save a dead Indian/' 

3\x%t Irtrk ifims? 

In 1639 the first brick house was built at Jamestown. It 
belonged to Eichard Kempe* and is referred to by Governor 
Harvey as "the fairest that was ever known in this country 
for substance and importance." 

5faw£r Sum 

During the same year plans were made for building a brick 
church. It was probably completed about 1639-1644, 

*Ninth secretary to the colony. See page 60. 



Somtttum of Birgmta 23 

the tower of which is the picturesque ruin of to- 
day. A part of the outer walls have been un- 
earthed. It is the desire of the Colonial Dames of America 
to erect a memorial building, as a protection for the historic 
ruins. On the wall of the memorial church the Episcopal 
Church in America will place a memorial tablet to the Eev. 
Robert Hunt, the first minister to Jamestown. Recently, 
the Colonial Bell Association has been organized. Its pur- 
pose is to have made a bell which will break the solemn still- 
ness once again as it rings out "from yonder ivy-mantled 
tower," when the Colonial Dames have completed their work 
of restoration. An association composed of the descendants 
of Pocahontas has also been organized, to erect on the island 
a memorial to their distinguished ancestress. 

It was the brick church belonging to the old tower which 
was fired by a torch in Bacon's hands during the rebellion 
in 1676, when the whole town was burned in order to keep 
the tyrannical old Governor, Berkeley, from returning. 

The communion service* belonging to this church, pre- 
sented by Frances Morrison in 1661, is in possession of Bru- 
ton Church at Williamsburg. 

The tower is built of red and blue glazed bricks, the so- 
called English bond, formerly thought to be imjported from 
England, but the general opinion at the present is that they 
were made in the colony. Among the relics preserved is an 
old brick with a footprint clearly imbedded in it. It was 

*See page 58 for description. 



24 (EoUmtai Capitals of % 

found among some ruins on the Island. The tower was 
probably built with loop holes as a protection against In- 
dian attacks. The entrance was through an arched doorway. 

After the defeat of Opechancanough in 1644, Indian mas- 
sacre was practically unknown at Jamestown. The Did 
chief, aged and blind, was captured and imprisoned here. 
Greatly to his indignation he was the subject of much cu- 
riosity and comment. One of his utterances to that effect 
was, "Had it been my fortune to take Sir William Berkeley 
prisoner, I would have disdained to make a show of him." 
He was fatally wounded by one of his guards. His remains 
were probably buried in the old graveyard. 



Irtek ©ijurrlj Inbuilt 

The church was rebuilt after Bacon's Rebellion, but gradu- 
ally fell into disuse and ruin about the end of the seven- 
teenth century. Within its nave and chancel many un- 
known dead are interred. An ironstone tablet, with inlaid 
brasses missing, lies with its head to the north, thus giving 
rise to the theory that it is a cenotaph. The time-honored 
custom of Christian burials, to place the feet toward the ris- 
ing sun, was formerly universally observed. To some the 
channeling in the stone of the head indicates a helmet. The 
impression made by the coat-of-arms is very distinct. It 
has been suggested that possibly it was in memory of Gover- 
nor Sir George Yeardley. He died at Jamestown in 1627. 



Somtntflit of iftnjmta 25 

The tombstone of Eev. John Clough, who was minister 
during Bacon's Eebellion (1676), has the only legible in- 
scription. He was a supporter of Berkeley's* was captured 
by Bacon and condemned to death, but was pardoned, and 
died at Jamestown in January, 1683. 

In excavating there was found in the chancel a skeleton 
six feet six inches tall. 

Uty? (§lh dkawgard 

The old graveyard lies immediately around the church. 
In 1898 several skeletons were found by the caving in of a 
part of the bank near the river, and in completing the sea- 
wall in 1905 one other skeleton was brought to light, proving 
that "God's Acre" originally extended several hundred feet 
further than the present enclosure. There are signs of graves 
immediately outside the wall. This wall was built during 
the early part of the eighteenth century, from the ruined 
walls of the last church. That the graveyard is very ancient 
is proven by finding a human skeleton buried across the line 
of foundations of the first brick church (1639-44). As the 
frame building of 1618 was built on almost the same ground, 
it is probably the original burying ground. 

"Beneath those rugged elms, that yew tree's shade, 
Where heaves the turf in many a moldering heap, 

Each in his narrow cell forever laid. 

The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep." 

With a thought of the irony of fate we muse, 

"Of high and low condition, 

Just and unjust, 
The patient and physician 

All turned to dust." 



26 (Eolimtal Capitals of tft? 

Among the legible tombstone inscriptions is that of Wil- 
liam Sherwood, who directed in his will that his body "be 
buried at the east end of the church at James City, without 
the walls" — and "that my good friend Jeffry Jeffreys of Lon- 
don, Esq., Do send a gravestone to be laid upon my grave 
with this Inscription, here lies William Sherwood, that was 
born in the Parish of White Chappell, near London, a great 
sinner waiting for a Joyfull Kesurrection." His epitaph 
testifies that this part of his will was carried out to the letter. 

Of Mrs Hannah Ludwell it is written, 

"After a most exemplary Life 
Spent in Cheerful Innocence 
And the continual Exercise of 
Piety, Charity, and Hospitality 
She Patiently Submitted 
Death on the 4th Day of April 1731 in 52d Year of Her Age." 

One of the freaks of nature is noticed in an enormous old 
sycamore which has grown between the graves of Dr. James 
Blair and his wife, Sarah Blair, trying its best to cause a di- 
vorce. The graves are side by side. In the tree's effort to 
grow, it caught in the side of Mrs. Blair's tomb, shatter- 
ing both stones to such an extent that large fragments have 
been broken off. In 1807, during the second centennial cele- 
bration, this sycamore was noticed as a young tree. 

Dr. Blair's tombstone inscription reads: 

"His sepultus est 

Vir Reverendus et Honorabilis 

JACOBUS BLAIR, A. M. 

Qui 

In Scotia natus 

In Academia Edinburgensi nutritus, 



Htmtmuttt of Utrgtnta 27 



Primo Angaliam deinde Virginiam 

Venit: 

Qua Parte Tenarum 

Annos LVIII. Evangelii Precoma 

LIV. Commissarii 

Gulielini et Maria e praesidis, 

e Britanniae Principurn 

Consilarii 

Concillii Preasidis 

Coloniae Prefecti 
munera sustinuit: 
ornavit 
urn oris venusti Decus, 
ate haliri sine ( ? ) hospitali 
munificent 
issimo egenis largo, 
omnibus corni 
superavit, 
Collegio bene devioram 

Fundaverat 

eus Bibliothe cani suam 

id aleudum Theologiae studiosum 

juventutum pauperiorum instituendam 

Testamento legavit 

Cal. Maii in die 

MDCCXLIII 

aetat: LXXXVIII. 

am desideratissimi 

Seuis Laudem 

is nepotibus commedabunt 

pene marmore perenniora." 

Dr. Blair was minister at Jamestown, commissary to the 
Bishop of London, a member of the Council, founder of Wil- 
liam and Mary College, its first president, and rector of Bru- 
ton Church in Williamsburg, the oldest Episcopal Church 
in continual use in America. 

Here is buried John Ambler, Esq., a member of the Colo- 
nial Assembly, brother to Jacqueline Ambler, the "Aristotle 
of Virginia;" also his brother Edward Ambler and his wife. 
These stones are hardly legible, but have been identified 



28 dolcmal (Eapiials of tty 

as the group in the northeast corner of the yard. Mrs. Ed- 
ward Ambler was Mary Cary, Washington's yonng sweet- 
heart, and Mrs. Jacqueline Ambler, formerly Eebecca Bur- 
well, rejected Thomas Jefferson. 

Here were found fragments of the tombstone of Lady 
Frances Berkeley, wife of the colonial governor. Though 
married three times she always called herself Lady Berkeley. 

Several members of the Ludwell family, Ursula Beverly, 
daughter of William Byrd, and Mrs. Elizabeth Drummond 
of Bacon's Eebellion fame, have here their last resting place. 

During the second centennial celebration in 1807 we are 
told that they buried in the graveyard a young man who 
died from heat and "the too free use of ice in cyder." It 
was at this time that steps were taken for adopting resolu- 
tions toward making the thirteenth of May an annual holi- 
day for the state. This anniversary was celebrated by the 
citizens of the neighboring towns. Thirty-two sailing 
vessels brought the crowd, which consisted of over four 
hundred ladies. An eloquent prayer by Bishop Madison 
began the opening exercises. At its conclusion "pious tears 
were seen hanging on many a cheek furrowed by age or 
adorned with youthful bloom." Orations were delivered by 
Briscoe G. Baldwin and John Madison, odes by C. K. Blan- 
chard and Leroy Anderson, students at William and Mary 
College. 

i^ttm? Hums 

Leaving the resting place of this "bygone generation" 
and passing through the Confederate fort and an open space 




RUINS OF STATE HOUSE AND LUDWELL HOUSES AT JAMESTOWN. 



lummwtt of Htnjima 29 

to the next ridge, we find the largest group of foundations 
remaining. They have been established as the ruins of the 
third and fourth State Houses, three houses belonging to 
Philip Ludwell, and the so-called "Country House." 

The third and fourth State Houses were built on the same 
site (eastern end of the ruins). Their foundations indi- 
cate that it was a symmetrical building with a square porch 
in front — facing the south — and with a porch and two niches 
in the back, which may have been either bay-windows or fire- 
places. There is no indication of the latter in any other 
part. From the numerous heated discussions which took 
place here, by the great lights among the Nation's founders, 
the fireplaces were hardly necessary. 

The third State House was built in 1666. It was in front 
of this building that Bacon drew up his little band, demand- 
ing of Governor Berkeley a commission which had been re- 
peatedly denied and put off, that he might protect the 
settlers from Indian attack and massacre. The old Governor, 
his conscience smiting him and thinking that Bacon's time 
for revenge had come, rushed out of the State House and 
baring his breast to the soldiers cried dramatically, "Here, 
shoot me, fore God, fair mark, shoot !" "Sir," Bacon re- 
plied, "We came here for a commission against the heathen 
who daily murder us and spill our brethren's blood, and not 
to fight you. My sword shall rust in its scabbard before 
even a hair of your head is touched." 



30 Colonial (Eaottals of % 

Even then the Governor declined to grant the request, 
and the muskets of the troops were promptly leveled at the 
windows from which the alarmed Burgesses fled in confusion, 
crying, "For God's sake, hold your hands and forbear a 
little, and you shall have what you please." Finally the 
Governor was induced to give the demanded commission, 
but no sooner were Bacon and his men on their way to fight 
the Indians than he denounced them as traitors. 

The next year the house was burned with the rest of the 
town by Bacon's men as a protection against the tyrannical 
Governor, though we are told that William Drummiond, 
Bacon's friend, took the precaution to save the records in the 
secretary's office. It was Drummond who set fire to his own 
house, and whose wife, picking up a straw and breaking it 
said, "I fear the power of England no more than a broken 
straw." Tradition says that a year or two later he was 
captured and condemned to execution by Berkeley. As he 
was led into the room the latter exclaimed, "You are very 
welcome, Mr. Drummond. I am more glad to see you than 
any man in Virignia. You shall hang in half an hour." 

From this time until 1686 the "King's Council" met in 
one of the numerous taverns. A writer of that day tells us 
that "about a dozen families" were in the habit of "getting 
their livings by keeping of ordinaries, at extraordinary 
rates."* 

A story is told of a small company of British soldiers sent 
to protect Berkeley. Seeing a great quantity of "Jamestown 

*Mrs. Ann Cotton. 



Ufltttuwm of Hurgtttta 31 

Weed " growing, and thinking it was a salad, they boiled it 
for a meal. It made such fools of them, that they had to be 
locked up for several clays, until their reason returned. 

The fourth State House, as before mentioned, was built 
about 1686 on the same site. It continued in use until it 
was burned in 1698. It was never rebuilt, and the capital 
was moved to Williamsburg the following year. 



CubtwU If mis? 



Next to the State House are the three house ruins be- 
longing to Philip Ludwell, the third husband of Berkeley's 
widow, and Governor of North Carolina. He had the con- 
tract for building the fourth State House. 

All of these Ludwell houses, including the Country House, 
at the end of the row, show where large fireplaces of about 
eight feet were placed. Several of the cellars are paved and 
that of the third house, next to the river, contains a brick 
pit — probably a well. 

On one side of its cellar, and also to the cellar of the 
"Country House," steps lead down. When excavated in 1903 
several sheets of melted lead, two bombshells, fragments of 
exploded shells, a pipe, scissors, steel sewing thimble, copper 
candle-stick, ladies' riding stirrup, and an old bottle, all of 
very quaint and curious appearance, were found. These 
things are preserved under the tower ruin by the caretaker 
of the A. P. V. A's. The brick work is the same as that 
of the church. 



32 (Mmttai (Eaptiala nf % 

The "Country House" was probably so called because it 
was owned by the Country or Colony. 

Near these ruins are an old well and an ancient pear tree. 
About three hundred feet in the river, and on a straight line 
from the sea-wall, an old cypress tree stands sentinel, help- 
ing the eye to better judge the extent of the Island washed 
away. At low tide the water around it is very shallow. The 
original shore line was about 180 feet further out. 

Along the south river bank are seen some gnarled and 
crooked mulberry trees, descendants perhaps of those planted 
in 1621 when it was made compulsory by statute in order to 
introduce the silk industry. Foreign workmen were imported 
to teach the art. In 1668 Berkeley sent a present of silk to 
Charles II, which was woven into a coronation robe. 

Mm 0f Net? 

On this western end of the Island lived a number of men 
of note in the Colony,* among whom were Robert Beverly, 
the historian; Richard Lawrence, Bacon's friend and com- 
patriot ; two consecutive Philip Ludwells ; Lieu. Edward Ross ; 
and Colonel Nathaniel Bacon, Sr., second cousin to the 
patriot of that name. The foundations of a ruined chimney 
mark the site of his dwelling, just east of the Confederate 
Fort. 

*Tlie Site of Old "James Towne," page 41. 



Somutum of Htnjmta 33 

"Nrat Qhnmt?" 

The part of the Island extending east of the tower ruin 
for about three-eighths of a mile was built up at a little later 
date. It was known as "New Towne" and was probably 
begun under Governor Sir George Yeardley, who entered 
upon his administration during 1619. Very little remains to 
tell the story. One hundred and fifty feet from the wharf 
and one hundred feet from the river are traces of a house 
foundation. It was possibly the site of the first State House 
used in 1630. Six hundred feet further along the river bank 
is the site of the Turf Fort, as ascertained by Mr. Young.* 
This was the second fort erected, and is described by ancient 
writers as quadrangular in plan "with something like Bas- 
tions at the four corners." No visible traces remain. 

Along the river bank was the front street. Eunning just 
in front of the Jacqueline-Ambler ruin is what was known 
as Back street. Traces of house foundations can be 
seen in some places. 



Jarquelitt?- Ambler jRmn 

The Jacqueline-Ambler ruin is practically the only one 
east of the tower. The date of it is unknown, but mention 
was made of it in 1807. It was burned during the Civil War, 
was afterwards rebuilt, and burned again in 1896, making 
the picturesque and romantic ruin of to-day. 

•The Site of Old "James Towne," page 74. 



34 (Mutual Okptials of ilj? 

Here lived Mary Ambler, formerly Mary Cary. The 
story goes that when she was first addressed by the young 
lieutenant, George Washington, she tossed her head and 
said she had no idea of marrying a young lieutenant; and 
her father, the noted Colonel Wilson Cary, said for her, to 
the future "Father of His Country," "If that is your business 
here, sir, I wish you to leave the house, for my daughter has 
been accustomed to ride in her own coach." Her lovely face 
was said to be very much like that of the widow Custis. 

Among the residents of this part of the town were Gov- 
ernor Sir George Yeardley, Gov. Sir. Francis Wyatt, Dr. 
Potts, "Physician General to the Colony," Captain Ealph 
Hamor, secretary of State and Chronicler, George Sandys, 
America's first poet, Captain Eoger Smith, Captain Kichard 
Stevens, William Sherwood, Attorney General, and a number 
of others whose deeds and valor are written deep in the 
history, not only of this small Island, but in that of the 
whole Nation. 



In 1898 the Bishops and Clergy of the Episcopal Church 
throughout the United States visited the Island in a body. 
They held impressive services near the tower ruin and 
erected a stone cross in commemoration of the event. 

QJrauta Surial drnmtfc 

In a grove of trees toward the east end of the Island is 
the private burial ground of the Travis family. It is a for- 
saken and neglected spot. Most of the family were buried 



iomutum of Hinjmia 35 

between 1700 and 1759. Only two legible tombstones re- 
main. The first is carved with a skull and cross bones, and 
reads : 

"Here lyeth in the hope of a glorious Resurrection 
the body of JOHN CHAMPION who was borne 
the 10th day of November in the yeare of our 
Lord 1660 and departed this life the 16th 
day of December in the year of our Lord 

1700. 
And likewise JOHN CHAMPION the son of John 
Champion who was borne the 11th day of Dec. 
in the yeare of our Lord 1695 and departed 
this life the 11th day of September in the yeare 
of our Lord 1700." 

The other is inscribed : 

SUSANNA TAVIS wife of 
Edward Champion Travis and 
Daughter of John Hutchings 
of the Borough of Norfolk Mercht 
and Amy his Wife who departed 
this life October the 28th: 1761 in the 
33rd Year of her Age much Lamented 
by all her Acquaintance 
And leaving Issue three Sons and 
one Daughter. 

Nigh this Place are also Interred 

The Following Children of the said 

Edward Travis and Susannah his wife 

ELIZABETH who was born August 

24th 1748 and Died September 22d 1749 

AMY who was born October 9th 1752 

and Died October 2nd 1775 

JOHN who was born December 9th 1755 

and Died November 25th 1759. 



This small dot on the country's map, impressing one with 
the thought that 

"Even the ghosts departed 
Long years ago," 



36 Olokmai Guttata nf tip? 

embraces in its tiny area hallowed traditions and historical 
associations "which shall live and last for aye." 



Jfaur Mxk Qxn IjflUB? 

This is the name given to a plantation originally includ- 
ing two thousand acres. It is situated on the opposite side 
(south) of James river from Jamestown, and four miles 
further up. On a hill near the water's edge a handsome 
old house overlooks the river. This house with the whole 
plantation, was the estate of the Brownes and remained in 
their family for two hundred years. The first owner, Colonel 
Henry Browne, was a member of Sir William Berkeley's 
Council in 1643. The house is exceedingly quaint both in- 
side and out. 

In a near-by garden is the second oldest tombstone in 
Virginia, dated January 7th, 1650. It marks the grave 
of Alice Miles, daughter of John Miles, of Branton, Here- 
fordshere, and wife of Colonel George Jordan, Attorney 
General of Virginia in 1670. The tombstone of Colonel 
William Perry of Westover, who died in 1637, is the oldest 
in Virginia. 

In a field near the house are the ruins of three adobe 
houses. It is most unusual to see an adobe house east of the 
Mississippi river, and, consequently, there are many sur- 
mises as to the date of these. It is probable that they were 
put up at an early period of colonial history. 



Homutum af Tftrgmta 37 

(Srmtapring 

Eight miles from Williamsburg and four miles distant 
from Jamestown there is a large plantation known as Green- 
spring. It is approached by a county road from Williams- 
burg, and a woods road of four miles leading from James- 
town. 

This estate was formerly the home of Sir William Berke- 
ley, governor to the colony in 1642 to 1652, and from 1660 
to 1677. The governor lived luxuriously and entertained 
lavishly in his country home. It was a magnificent estate. 
The lawn was beautifully terraced. There were shade trees 
and flowers of every variety and numerous tropical plants 
flourished in hot houses. Traces of the terraces, and masses 
of jonquils and narcissusses are all that remain of its former 
beauty, while the celebrated dwelling is only a picturesque 
ruin. A few of the original out-houses are still to be seen, 
and the "very fine, green spring that is upon the land" and 
from which the place was named is still one of its features. 
It was said that the spring was "so very cold that 'tis danger- 
ous drinking thereof in the summer time." 

After Berkeley's death, his widow and her third husband, 
Philip Ludwell I, made Greenspring their home. Two other 
Philip Ludwells owned the place, and in the latter part of 
his life, Hon. William Lee, who married a daughter of Philip 
Ludwell III, lived here. He was minister of the United 
States to the courts of Vienna and Berlin. Lord Culpeper, 
governor of the colony in 1680, rented it during his admin- 
istration. 



38 (Momal Olajritals of tty 

In 1676, as Bacon was on his way to Jamestown with his 
small army, they halted for a few hours in the fields of 
Greenspring. Bacon made them a short address, ending with 
the words, "Come on, my hearts of Gold ; he that dies in the 
field of battle sleeps on the bed of honor." As they proceeded 
to Jamestown, they captured the wives of the prominent men 
who sided with Berkeley, and in order to have time to erect 
breastworks the women were placed in front of the line as a 
protection against the guns of the enemy. When the latter 
were ready to fire, there was a line of white aprons fluttering 
in the breeze, and, naturally, no man wished to shoot his 
own wife, so Bacon's ruse was successful. 

It was the next year, after the death of their valiant leader 
in Gloucester county, that Berkeley had Bacon's men arrest- 
ed as traitors and brought to Greenspring for a pretended 
trial. Jamestown at that time was in ashes. The verdict 
in each instance was the same, death by hanging, notwith- 
standing the entreaty of friends and relatives. The gallant 
Colonel Hansford, young, bright and handsome, asked to be 
shot like a soldier. The Governor refused, saying, "You shall 
die like a rebel." So wholesale was the slaughter that not 
only were the people of Virginia disgusted but the king of 
England and his subjects as well. The old tyrant went over 
to England soon after his brutalities and met with so much 
coldness and discourtesy that he died of mortification a few 
months later. 

Across a part of the lawn and in the neighboring fields 
are the remains of breastworks thrown up a little over a 



iommtott of Btnjtma 39 

hundred years later, during the closing year of the Eevolu- 
tion. Cornwallis and Lafayette had a short skirmish in the 
old fields. The latter was defeated and the British general 
pushed on to Jamestown, where he crossed the river and pro- 
ceeded to Yorktown. 




" % ia man'a niflrat bnb to let 
Sty? 'tfjttuja tljat Ijam* ten' run tn niaat? , 
Ana ttt tlje nnmramnn, nr*a*nt atnk inenaat : 
3fn niljnae font glaaa eben now 31 faintly rrafc 
(TO bnrieo forma ano farea long ago" 



Mhtx ta Mnp of BfUlramslmrg, Utrgmta. 

A. Old Stage Road or "Kings Highway." 

B. Road to Greenspring and Jamestown. 

C. Road to College Creek, leading to James River. 

D. Road to Queens Creek, leading to York River. 

E. Road to Yorktown. 

1. William and Mary College, 1693. 

2. Brafferton — formerly Indian School, 1723. 

3. President's House, 1732. Rebuilt by Louis XVI. 

4. Blair House. 

5. Bruton Episcopal Church, 1715. 

6. Wythe House. 

7. Dunmore's Cave. 

8. Audrey's House. 

9. Palace Green. 

10. Court House, 1769. 

11. House in which Lafayette was entertained. (Now occupied by 

Mayor Warburton.) 

12. Brick Hotel. 

13. Powder Horn, 1714. 

14. Baptist Church. Built in 1856 with the bricks of the Powder 

Horn wall for foundation. 

15. Paradise House, about 1760. 

16. Old House. 

17. Ancient Masonic Temple. 

18. Site of Old Raleigh Tavern. Burned in 1859. 

19. Vest House. (In which Lafayette's officers were entertained.) 

20. Clerk's or Chancery Office. Has been added to and made a home. 

21. Ruins of the House of Burgesses. Burned in 1832. 

22. Site of the first Theatre in America, 1716. 

23. Peyton Randolph's home. 

24. Tazewell Hall. (Home of Edmund Randolph.) 

25. Martha Washington's Kitchen. 

26. Eastern State Hospital, 1768. 

27. Debtor's Prison. 

28. Bassett Hall. 

29. Cary House — Where George Washington and George Fairfax 

went courting. 

30. Custis House — In which the Colonial Governor Dinwiddie was 

entertained while the palace was undergoing repairs. 
(Now owned by Mrs. Hansford.) 

31. Old House — Oldest part built in 1761. (Now occupied by the 

Misses Garrett.) 

32. Old House — Contains an old wine cellar and very large brick 

fireplaces. 

33. Old House — Said to have been the home of "Blackbeard," the 

pirate who was killed under Spotswood'a administration 
(1710-23), and thirteen of his men hung in Williamsburg. 



MAP OF WILLIAMSBURG, VA. 



SCALE 




[t Utamahttrg J^ 



OR the appreciative visitor to this "village 
city/' Williamsburg has a five-fold interest 
in its unique character and atmosphere, its 
age, quaint architecture, historic associations, 
and the romantic lustre which brightens the 
pages in many novels of Virginia's most 
talented writers. 

This small city of twenty-five hundred 
inhabitants, boasting of a charter from royal 
hands, has a character at once distinctive 
and engaging. 

Enfolded with an atmosphere of peace- 
fulness, it forms an inviting retreat. 

The town was laid out and paled in by the colonial Gov- 
ernor Sir John Harvey in 1632 and was known as Middle 
Plantation. In 1698 streets were laid out by Governor 
Frances Nicholson, and the town named in honor of the 
first of the reigning sovereigns, William and Mary. After 
the burning of the State House at Jamestown, the seat of 
government was removed to Williamsburg by Governor 




44 (EoUmtal (Eapttals of % 

Nicholson in 1699. From then until the capital was re- 
moved to Eichmond in 1779, Williamsburg was in its pris- 
tine glory, "most families of any note having a coach, chariot, 
berlin or chaise." A contemporaneous writer* tells us that 
"at balls and assemblies, I have seen as fine an appearance, 
as good diversion, and as splendid entertainment in Gov. 
Spotswood's time as I have seen anywhere else." The 
people, he says, "can discourse handsomely on most common 
subjects"; that they had the "shortest and best methods" of 
doing the most ordinary things, were quick and "of excellent 
sense." 

Of the public buildings he said, "They are justly reputed 
the best in all English America, and are exceeded by few of 
their kind in England." By 1776, "The houses, mostly 
wooden, number less than one hundred." "The streets were 
unpaved and dusty — the soil being sandy." The side-walks 
were hard white marl until paved during the summer of 
1905. 

The town is situated on the elevated peninsula between 
the historic James and York rivers; so necessarily there was 
a great difference in the healthfulness of the first capital 
and this second one. There were no mosquitoes and the air 
was "serene and temperate." Even during the summer 
months it was said that one could keep very comfortable, 
"especially if there be windows enough to draw the air." 
Even as to-day, there was an "easy way of living and the 

*Hugh Jones' "Present State of Virginia." 



Itomtmntt nf Htnjmta 45 

heat of the summer makes some very lazy, who are then said 
to be climate struck." 

Not many years ago it mdght have been said with a good 
deal of truth that the people of this little town lived in the 
present only to dream of the past and future. 

That it has a past of which it is justly proud is verified 
by the names of the streets, called after royal favorites of 
long ago, the kitchen of Martha Washington and even the 
elm tree said to be planted by her own hands. 

The historic incidents and traditions cluster principally 
around Duke of Gloucester and its two parallel streets, 
Francis and Nicholson, called after the colonial governor 
who laid them out. England, Scotland, Tazewell and Pic- 
cadilly have a colonial association. 

Duke of Gloucester, the colonial boulevard, is the main 
street. It is about three-fourths of a mile in length, ninety feet 
wide, and lined on both sides with shade trees. A student of 
William and Mary College, in a letter describing the town 
in 1804, said, "Indeed I never saw and I think there cannot 
be a more elegant street anywhere than the Main street is/' 
The lamp-posts extend down the middle of the street. At 
one end are the foundations of the House of Burgesses; at 
the other, William and Mary College. 

Facing the College, the road to the right is known as the 
old Stage Eoad or "King's Highway." It was over this 
road that Washington journeyed to and fro from Mt. Vernon, 
that Eandolph, Lee, Pendleton, and numerous others traveled 



46 (Efliotual Gkpttals nf % 

on their way to Philadelphia to the first Continental Con- 
gress; over this road ran the first mail route, established 
during Spotswood's time. Gov. Spotswood was Postmaster 
General of the Colony for a number of years. It was over 
this road that he passed with his "Knights" on that memor- 
able first journey across the Blue Kidge Mountains of Vir- 
ginia. 

The order "Knights of the Golden Horse-Shoe" established 
by the gallant Governor in commemoration of the event was 
the first purely American organization. A small gold horse- 
shoe, set with jewels and inscribed with the motto, "Sic 
juvat transcendere montes," was presented to each Knight. 
The expedition is charmingly described in Miss Johnston's 
romantic novel "Audrey." A small quaint house on Dun- 
more street is often pointed out to visitors to this old town, 
as the mythical home of Audrey, the heroine. Scratched on 
one of the tiny window-panes in the house are the initials 

Spotswood established the first iron works in America, 
thus getting the name of "Tubal Cain" of Virginia. 

The road to the left of the College leads to Jamestown and 
Greenspring. It is associated very closely with Audrey. 
Where the road forks, Washington met Lafayette for the 




WILLIAM AND MARY COLLEGE. 



iommtott of Htnjuua 47 

first time. The story goes that they were both on horse- 
back. Washington extended his hand in greeting. The 
youthful Frenchman was so overcome by his emotions that 
he leaned over and kissed the gallant American general. 

UtUtam anb ilarg ©oltep 

It seems very fitting that the triangle enclosed by these 
two historic roads should be occupied by the venerable Col- 
lege of William and Mary. The campus of green grass and 
old shade trees forms a pleasing setting for this second oldest 
institution of learning in the United States. It was founded 
in 1693 through the effort of Eev. James Blair, D. D.,* its 
first President and rector of the Church at Jamestown and 
of Bruton Church in Williamsburg. 

Sir Christopher Wren, the famous English architect who 
introduced the pure Eenaissance in England in the building 
of St. Paul's Cathedral, drew the plans for this Colonial 
institution, though they were remodeled to suit the conveni- 
ence of a new land. It is unpretentious in style, built of old 
red and blue glazed bricks, and presents a very ancient ap- 
pearance for this new country of ours. An old letter dated 
from Williamsburg in 1804 and written by a very critical 
young man, reads, in describing the building, "The person 
Sir Christopher Wren, who planned it, has not manifested 
an exquisite taste for the beauties of architecture. Mr. Jef- 
ferson, in speaking of it, calls it a rude, misshapen pile, which, 

*Tomb at Jamestown, see page 26. 



48 (EoUmtal Capitals of tty 

but for its roof, would be taken for a common brick- 
kiln. It certainly is not an elegant structure, but it is easily- 
distinguishable from a brick-kiln." Jefferson has also said 
that his destiny in life was fixed while a student at William 
and Mary College by Dr. Small, "the illustrious professor of 
mathematics." 

The College charter was given by William and Mary, with 
the understanding "that the Church of Virginia may be 
furnished with a seminary of ministers of the Gospel, and 
that the youth may be piously educated in good letters and 
manners, and that the Christian religion may be propagated 
among the Western Indians, to the glory of Almighty God." 
The College was named in honor of these reigning sovereigns, 
and the college colors are orange and white, complimentary 
to the House of Orange. The charter endowed the College 
with "the whole and entire sum of one thousand, nine 
hundred and eigl^-five pounds fourteen shillings and ten 
pence, of good and lawful money of England, that has been 
raised out of the quit-rents of said colony." It was also to 
have a penny a pound on all tobacco exported from Virginia 
or Maryland. A chancellor, president or rector, and six 
professors composed the faculty and besides there was a 
board of eighteen visitors. There was only one condition 
attached to this liberal charter and that was that the College 
authorities pay annually "to us and to our successors two 
copies of Latin verse yearly on the fifth day of November at 
the House of the Governor or Lieutenant-Governor for the 
time being." The Virginia Gazette contains numerous no- 



iEtamUttim ni Hinjittia 49 

tices which testify that this condition was fulfilled to the 
letter. A notice in the November Gazette of 1736 states: 
"On this day s'en night, being the fifth day of November, 
the president, masters and scholars of William and Mary 
College went, according to their annual custom, in a body, 
to present his Honor two copies of Latin verse in obedience 
to their charter. Mr. President delivered the verses to his 
Honor, and two of the young gentlemen spoke them." 

The chapel in the rear was built at a later date, William 
Byrd of Westover having the contract. Its walls are lined 
with paintings of the distinguished men who have here per- 
fected and given their talents to their Alma Mater, and have 
exerted, a great influence upon the history of their country. 
Under the College chapel are buried Eev. James Madison, 
D. D., cousin to the president of the United States, bishop 
of the Episcopal church, and president of the College for a 
number of years; Sir John Eandolph, and his two illustri- 
ous sons, John, attorney general of Virginia from 1766-75, 
and Peyton, president of the first American Congress, and 
a prominent member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. 
Peyton Eandolph was buried here in 1776. Here also is the 
last resting place of Lord Botetourt, governor of Virginia in 
1768-70. The inscription on the monument which stands 
on the College campus shows how dearly he was beloved and 
honored by the Americans. It was erected in 1774 by the 
House of Burgesses and bears the following inscription: 

"The Eight Honorable jSTorborne Berkeley Baron de Bote- 
tourt, his Majesty's late Lieutenant, and Governor-General 
of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia." 



50 (ftafamal Capitals of % 

(Eight side) "Deeply impressed with the warmest sense 
of gratitude for his Excellency's, the Right Honorable Lord 
Botetourt's prudent and wise administration, and that the 
remembrance of those many public and social virtues which 
so eminently adorned his illustrious character might be 
transmitted to posterity, the General Assembly of Virginia 
on the XX day of July Ann. Dom. MDCCLXXI. resolved 
with one united voice to erect this stature to his Lordship's 
mjemory. Let wisdom and justice preside in any country 
the people must and will be happy." 

(Left side) "America, behold your friend, who, leaving 
his native country, declined those additional honors which 
were there in store for him, that he might heal your wounds 
and restore tranquillity and happiness to this extensive conti- 
nent. With what zeal and anxiety he pursued these glorious 
objects, Virginia, thus bears her grateful testimony." 

During the Civil War the copper name-plate was taken 
off the coffin and carried away. It was found in a junk shop 
in JSTew York in recent years and sent to the president of 
William and Mary College, who placed it in the curio case in 
the college library. Very shortly after, an old house in the 
town was being repaired and inside the plaster was found a 
Virginia Gazette of 1770 describing the funeral service which 
was held in Bruton Church, and the burial under the College 
Chapel. 

After the burning of the State House at Jamestown the 
Burgesses met in the College for four years, until the Capi- 
tol could be built. The College was burned three times, — in 



Datmttum of BirQtnia 51 

1705 — 1859 — 1863 — but each time was restored on the same 
brick walls. 

William and Mary was the first College in America to 
have chairs of Law, Political Economy, Modern Languages, 
and History; the first to announce the elective and honor 
systems, and to introduce class lectures. The Botetourt 
medals were the first collegiate medals awarded. The Phi 
Beta Kappa Fraternity, established here in 1776, was the 
first Greek letter fraternity in the United States. The old 
minute book of the fraternity and the iron dies of the first 
Botetourt medal are among the relics preserved in the library. 
A copy of the first edition of Thomson's "Seasons" — 1726- 
30, Livy's "Prentes in Vinnice" — 1498, some of the early 
magazines published in 1763 by the Eoyal Magazine, or 
Gentlemen's Monthly Companion, comprise the oldest lit- 
erature in the College Library. Catesby's Natural History 
of the Carolinas, Florida and the Bahama Islands, printed 
with colored plates in two volumes, in London, was given by 
Thomas Jefferson on condition that it should never go out 
of the library. There are about 10,000 books altogether, 
many presented by the royal governors, and embellished with 
coats-of-arms. Some have been given by the different presi- 
dents of the College. 

Many distinguished men have had a part in the making 
of this grand old institution. George Washington was the 
first chancellor of the College after the Eevolution. John 
Tyler, another President of the United States, was a stu- 
dent, and later chancellor. James Monroe and Jefferson, 



52 (Mutual (Eapttala af tty? 

presidents of the United States, were both students here, 
and the latter a member of the Board of Visitors. Chan- 
cellor George Wythe was a student and professor of law. 
His pupils, Chief Justice Marshall and Jefferson, not only 
reflected honor upon him, themselves, and Virginia, but the 
whole United States. Edmund Randolph, secretary, and 
governor of Virginia, and Peyton Eandolph, the first presi- 
dent of the Continental Congress, were both among its stu- 
dents. Gen. Winfield Scott, and a number of eminent men 
of letters, not only of a later day, but of the present as well, 
claim with love and honor this historic and celebrated insti- 
tution, for their Alma Mater. 

Iraffrrinn 

To the left of the main building is the Brafferton, now one 
of the College dormitories but formerly the first permanent 
Indian school in Amlerica. 

In 1691 both William and Mary, and Harvard colleges 
fell heir to the estate of Hon. Robert Boyle, who died in 
England. From William and Mary's share of the funds 
the Brafferton estate in Yorkshire, England, was bought 
and the rents used to establish and support the Indian school,, 
which was kept up until the Revolution, when the rents 
ceased. 

This school has been described by a contemporaneous 
writer* in the following quaint style: — "The Indians who 
are upon Mr. Boyle's foundation have now a handsome 

*Hugh Jones' "Present State of Virginia." 



Uomututtt of Birgutia 53 

apartment for themselves and their master, built near the 
College. The young Indians procured from the tributary or 
foreign nations with much difficulty were formerly boarded 
or lodged in the town, where abundance of them used to 
die, either through sickness, change of provision, and way 
of life; or, as some will have it often for want of proper 
necessaries, and due care taken with them. Those of them 
that have escaped well, and have been taught to read and 
write, for the most part return to their home, some with, 
and some without, baptism, where they follow their own 
savage customs and heathenish rites. A few of them have 
lived as servants among the English, or loitered and idled 
away their time in laziness and mischief. But it is a great 
pity that more care is not taken of them after they are dis- 
missed from school. They have admirable capacities when 
their humors and tempers are perfectly understood." 

A portrait of Mr. Boyle hangs on the walls of the College 
library. 

Qty* praritottf * i^amt 

Across from the Brafferton is the president's home. It is a 
substantial dwelling of old brick, adorned with a colonial 
porch and a late Eenaissance roof. This house was used by 
Lord Cornwallis for headquarters shortly before the York- 
town campaign. It was built in 1732, was accidently burned 
by the French on their way to Yorktown, and was rebuilt 
by Louis XVI out of his private funds, thus being the only 
house in Virginia, and perhaps in the United States, built 
by a reigning sovereign. 



54 (EnUmtal (HapttaLa of % 

©If? Ulatr ifnuB? 

As we pass along the colonial boulevard, a long frame 
structure, low and dilapidated, arrests our attention. The 
very sharp roof and dormer windows testify to the fact that 
it was built when property was taxed according to the num- 
ber of stories in a building. This old residence was formerly 
the home of the Hon. John Blair, appointed by Washington 
judge of the United States Supreme Court. 

It is also said that John Marshall, the first Chief Justice 
of the United States, lived in the old house for a while. A 
great many characteristic anecdotes are told of this most 
famous of American jurists. It was always his habit to go 
to market every morning, carrying his own basket, and bring- 
ing home his own purchases. One day he heard a very dapper 
young man near him swearing in extremely round terms 
because he had no one to take home a turkey he had just 
bought. The Chief Justice offered his service, which was 
promptly accepted, and he trudged along with the turkey, 
behind the young man for a numjber of blocks. The destina- 
tion reached, Marshall refused the proffered piece of money 
but gave without the asking a most practical lesson on false 
pride. 

Another time he was driving through a woods road when 
further progress was impeded by a fallen tree. He simply 
sat in his buggy until help arrived in a young negro boy 
who led the horse around the tree without any difficulty. 
Judge Marshall promised to leave a coin at the next corner 
store for the boy, who promptly remarked to the store 








BLAIR HOUSE. 



W0m 












BKUTON CHURCH. 



ibraristum at Btrgtma 55 

keeper on its receipt, "That old man sho'ly is a gentleman, 
if he ain't got much sense." 

Sntian (Eijurrlj 

Bruton Church in this ancient capital of Williamsburg, 
is more intimately associated with colonial history than any 
other church in Virginia, and perhaps in America. It is 
the successor to the mother church at Jamestown, and its 
historical and sacred associations should make it dear to 
the hearts of all patriotic Americans. 

Within its walls have worshipped five presidents of the 
United States, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, 
and Tyler. Here on a Sabbath morn came the colonial 
governors and members of the House of Burgesses, Wythe, 
Bland, Lee, Pendleton, Mason, Marshall, and a number of 
other "founders and defenders of the American Nation," 
some of whose names appear a number of times as vestry- 
men and communicants. Through its historic portals 
passed all the wealth, grace, beauty and genius of Virginia, 
to do honor to God and themselves. 

The church derived its name from the parish, the latter 
probably named in honor of Governor Berkeley or the Lud- 
wells, who were from Bruton, Somerset county, England. 

Thorn/as Ludwell, Esq., is buried at the north door of the 
church, and his epitaph testifies to the truth of this as his 
birth-place. 

It is the oldest Episcopal church in continual use in Amer- 
ica. The parish was founded in 16-32. Very little is 



56 ©olxmtal Capitals of tlp> 

known of the first church except the fact that there was 
one before 1665, and it probably was a small frame struc- 
ture. 

The second church built of brick was erected in 1683. 
The land was given by Col. John Page. A beautiful memorial 
window in the east end of the church was presented in recent 
years by some of his descendants. The present building is 
in the form of a Soman cross with a tower entrance. It is 
built with low walls of red and blue glazed brick, over which 
clings tenderly the ivy of years. It was designed by Gov- 
ernor Alexander Spotswood and finished in 1715. His pew 
was raised from the floor slightly, a silk canopy draped over 
it, and around the top the Governor's name written in gold 
letters. 

A writer of that day tells us that the church was "adorned 
as the best churches in London."* 

There are a number of tablets in memory of departed men 
of distinction. Those dating back to pre-Eevolutionary days 
are: — a Mural Tablet to "pe ^an ble Bantel park* of ne 
County of Saarx iEaq. mho taaa one of tfts HIa: teB (Eotm- 
aeUera ano aomritmea secretary of tljr (Eolony of Btr§: a fye 
Iteo Be fitlj of Mmrl} Anno 1079." 

Another reads: — 

itlOIGIi&IS 

Snarrtbro to tlje memory, of 

Br. Militant (Eorke 

An Snnliab. pfyyairian, born of reputable #arenta 

*Hugh Jones. Present State of Virginia. 



Unminum of Virginia 57 

at H>nalwnj in Suffolk . 
anil febumUh at (fnmts (Hollr-g?, (Eatubridg?, 
%t mas tearnefc anil polite, 
of insiafwien skill in lits nrnfrssinn. 
nf nnbonna^b Ofotternaitn, in tjis nrariir? : 
httjirn. mnltiinora, tf*t aliur-, ran frstitg — 
if e mas, mantr grars, nf ttjf (Enlnny 
3ln tl|p Urinn nf djhtrrn Ann & nf 2Cing CHr-nrgr. 
if* oijpn ^nsornlg, sitting a Snngp npnn tlje Srnrfp 
nf ilje (general (Ennrt in ttj<* (Eanitnl. 

2f is 3fon : frirno Alcx a ^pntsumoo, Ssq r . ttu»n <§0ti r . 

imth. io^ prinrinal (Urntleinrn nf tlje (Unnntrg, 

attenfceo Ijis funrral. 

ano, weening, saw the (Unrns Interred 

at fly* Uest siae nf tlje Altar 

in tljis (Etjnrrlj." 

A number of people, including the Eev. Eowland Jones, 
"Pastor Primus and delectissimus," and "The Body of Mr. 
Orlando Jones/' the son of Eev. Eowland Jones, the first 
pastor of the church on record, are buried under the chan- 
cel. The colonial governors, Francis Fauquier and Ed- 
mund Jenings, are buried under the aisle, but no tablet or 
monument to Fauquier's memory remains. The fact was 
established through an old number of the Virginia Gazette, 
which gave an account of the funeral service and interment. 
During the summer of 1905, while the work of restoration 
was going on, brass tacks forming the letters E. J. 1727 
were found on a piece of coffin under the church. They 



58 dtatamal Capitals of th* 

were taken to stand for Edmund Jenings, as that was the 
year of his death. The fee in 1864 for burial in the chancel 
was 1,000 pounds of tobacco, or 5 pound sterling; in the 
church, 500 pounds of tobacco or 50 shillings in money. 

Tradition says that the baptismal font now in use was 
brought from the church at Jamestown. Some romantic 
spirits, contrary to history and Captain John Smith, delight 
in the pretty sentiment that the Indian maiden Poca- 
hontas was baptised from it. 

Eecently, when the church windows were undergoing re- 
pairs, the negro sexton asked the rector if he was not afraid 
someone might break into the church and steal "Miss Poca- 
hontas' sprinkling pot." 

It was ordered in 1716 "fijai % Mm sit! on % Nnrtlj 
sft? of tl|2 ©Ifurrfj, and itjr Homrtt en ilje hit" Again in 
1718 the gallery in the west end was set apart "for iije use 
oi f fye CEoUpog? fJnttilf ," and in order to give them plenty of 
room, a door was put to the stairs leading up and provided 
with a lock and key, the latter carried by the sexton. 

Among the relies of the past which are carefully pre- 
served, is the old Parish Begister. A large number of pages 
are torn from the front and back of the book. It now con- 
tains the records of births dating from 1739 to 1797, and of 
deaths from 1662 to 1761. 

There are three quaint and very handsome Commun- 
ion Services. The oldest consists of three pieces with the 
following inscription on each piece : "Mist not IjoIm, ifytttgs 



Sumtnum of Btrgtma 59 

tottlj prnfanf. ?Ex tann franriari Harrison, Armtgrtt. Anno 
Siotm, IHfil." It was given to the church at Jamestown 
by Francis Morrison, who was then acting-governor. 

The second service is a handsomely embellished two-hand- 
led cup with the cover, and a small patten. The cup is 
engraved on one side with the Stanton arms, was left to 
William and Mary College by Lady Gooch, the daughter of 
William Stanton, Esq., but is commonly known as the Queen 
Anne Service. 

The King G-eorge Service consists of three pieces, flagon, 
chalice, and alms basin. The Eoyal Arms are engraved 
on each piece between the initials G III — R. with the 
motto, "Honi soit qui mal y pense." 

King Edward VII has recently given a bible to the 
church, which will be presented when the work of restora- 
tion has been completed. 

In commemoration of the three hundredth anniversary of 
the nation's birth, President Eoosevelt has presented a lec- 
tern on which the bible is to rest. Each pew is to be a 
memorial to individual members of the House of Burgesses 
and the other eminent men associated with the history of the 
church and the country. 

From the tall brick tower the faint peals of the bell have 
called us to worship for nearly a century and a half. On 
it is engraved "JHffe gift of 3amra ©aqilg in Sruion •Parts!?, 
XTBlS* Notwithstanding the inscription and date a pretty 
story is told of the bell, Once when Queen Anne with 
her retinue was passing through the streets of London, her 



60 (Mtmial (Capitals af tip 

attention was drawn to a crowd collected around a foundry. 
Upon asking what was being cast, she was told that it was 
a bell for one of the churches in "Her Majesty's Dominion 
of Virginia," The Queen impulsively drew off her 
bracelets, rings and other jewelry, and threw them into the 
glowing m|ass, from which came the bell with its silvery 
tones.* 

The high brick wall around the churchyard was built in 
1754 by Samuel Spurr of Williamsburg. In many parts it is 
overgrown with ivy. The old trees, the tangle of wild rose 
and honeysuckle, the antique and quaintly shaped tombstones 
of a bygone generation, form a pleasing and lasting impres- 
sion. Among the monuments many have coat-of-arms en- 
graved and Latin inscriptions. Some are interesting from 
the quaint expressions and verses which give an insight into 
the lives of the people of that early day. 

The fee to the sexton in the early period of the church's 
history was ten pounds of tobacco for each grave dug. 

The Custis children, Washington's step-children, are buried 
near the north door in the churchyard. Near Thomas Lud- 
well "lye the bodies of Eichard Kempe, Esq., his Prede- 
cessor in ye Secretary's Office and Sir Thomas Lunsford Kt." 
Eichard Kempe was a member of the Virginia Council in 
1642 at Jamestown and Secretary of the Colony for a num- 
ber of years. He officiated as governor for three years 
while Berkeley was in England. It was under him that the 

*Aa Queen Anne died in 1714, this tradition should belong to fcha 
firat bell. 



r r^0, 




BRUTON CHURCHYARD. 



iomtttum of Hirgtma 61 

first Thanksgiving Days in the Colony, of which there is 
any record, were celebrated, and during whose administra- 
tion it was ordered, "That the eighteenth day of April be 
yearly celebrated by thanksgivings for our deliverance from 
the hands of the salvages." 

Sir Thomas Lunsford married Kempe's widow. 

Col. Scammel, the highest officer in rank killed during the 
Yorktown siege, was wounded by two Hessian horsemen 
after he had surrendered. He was brought to Williamsburg, 
where he died shortly after, and is buried in the churchyard. 

His epitaph reads: 

"What tho' no friend could ward thine early fall 
Nor guardian angels turn the treacherous ball, 
Bless'd shade besooth'd thy virtues all are known 
Thy fame shall last beyond this mouldering stone 
Which conquering armies from their toils return'd, 
Rear to thy glory, while thy fate they mourned."* 

In a corner near the Confederate monument, side by side, 
are the graves of Rev. Servant Jones and his first wife. 
He was a noted character of his day and as his epitaph ex- 
plains, "Like the most of imperfect humanity, he was not ex- 
empt from some of its frailties, but a kinder soul seldom ex- 
isted. He possessed in his Nature a Bank of Benevolence, 
which secretly dispensed its varied, blessings to the needy, 
and where the needy never faltered to repay in full confi- 
dence of affected relief. He was a zealous promoter of the 
Baptist cause and many a personal sacrifice did he make to 
advance its interests — 

inscription now illegible. 



62 ftolmrial Capitals of tip 

If enemies he had they all will, now that 

he is no longer in his place, do the 

Justice to acknowledge — He was more 

sinned against than sinning. — 
Time was when his cheek with life's crimson was flushed, 
When cheerful his voice was, health sat on his brow — 
That cheek is now palsied, that voice is now hushed : 
He sleeps with the dust of his first partner now." 

It is said that once when arriving at the home of Mr. 
Howl, a parishioner, after dinner had just been finished, 
he originated the following grace : 

"Good Lord of love look down from above, 
And bless the 'owl who ate this fowl 
And left these bones for Servant Jones." 

It is told, that on the night of his death, when the light- 
ning was flashing, and thunder broke the awful stillness 
with its crashes, one of the watchers, seized with a humor- 
ous impulse, lifted the body of Mr. Jones and danced 
through the room with it, to the horror and dismay of the 
others present. 

He has left a touching tribute to his first wife in the 
verses inscribed on her tombstone. It is said that he 
brought the slab to Williamsburg on top of the coach in which 
he and his second wife sat as they returned from their bridal 
trip. The verses inscribed read : 

"If woman ever yet did well 
If woman ever did excell, 
If woman husband ere adored, 
If woman ever loved the Lord, 

If ever faith and Hope and Love 
In human flesh did live and move 
If all the graces ere did meet 
In her, in her, they were complete. 



itamtttuttt of Birgraia 63 



My Ann, my all, my Angel wife, 

My dearest one my love my life, 

I cannot sigh, or say farewell 

But where thou dwellest I will dwell." 



The long green at the rear of the church is another re- 
minder of the days of pomp and pageant of the royal gov- 
ernors. Where the old palace once stood we now find the 
Matthew Whaley Model and Practice School of William and 
Mary College. A stone monument presented by Mrs. Letitia 
Semple, of Washington, also marks the spot. 

Governor Nott, who is buried in Bruton churchyard, pro- 
cured through the Assembly an act for building the palace 
and an appropriation of £3,000 for the same. The building- 
is described as having been "a magnificent structure built 
at the public expense, finished and beautified with gates, fine 
gardens, offices, walks, a fine canal, orchards, etc., with a 
great number of the best arms, nicely posited by the inge- 
nious contrivance of the most accomplished Col. Spottswood. 
This, likewise, has the ornamental addition of a good cupola 
or lantern, illuminating most of the town upon birtrmights, 
and other nights of occasional rejoicing." 

The grounds contained 370 acres bordered with lin- 
dens brought from Scotland. It was over this beautiful 
green that the belles, gallants, and distinguished soldiers 
and statesmen in "His Majesty's Colony of Virginia" passed 
to grace the balls and assemblies and to do honor to the 
colonial governors. 



64 (Mutual (Eapitals nf \\p 

The Virginia Gazette, of November 17th, 1752, contains 
the following notice: "Friday last, being the Anniversary 
of his Majesty's Birth Day, in the Evening the whole City 
was illuminated. There was a Ball, and a very elegant En- 
tertainment, at the Palace, where were present the Emperor 
and Empress of the Cherokees Nation, with their Son the 
young Prince, and a brilliant appearance of Ladies and 
Gentlemen; several beautiful Fireworks were exhibited in 
Palace Street, by Mr. Hallam, manager of the Theatre in 
this City, and the Evening concluded with every demonstra- 
tion of our Zeal and Loyalty." 

Dunmore was the last loyal representative to live here, and 
it is said that during the disturbing times preceding the 
Revolution, his palace was guarded by a company of ne- 
groes and later by a detachment of sailors and marines 
from "his Majesty's ship Fowey." 

The Palace was accidently burned by some French troops 
after the surrender at Yorktown, eight years after Dun- 
m ore's flioht. 



About 500 feet back of the Green is an enclosed mound of 
earth, overgrown with gnarled trees. In the center of this 
mound is a deep hole which leads to an underground pas- 
sage. "Dunmore's Cave," as this is called, extends under- 
ground to where the Palace stood. There are several theo- 
ries as to its original use, some thinking it was used as a 




dunmore's cave. 




WYTHE HOUSE. 




CUSTIS HOUSE. 



lommton of Btrgutia 65 

wine cellar, others that perhaps the tricky governor kept 
in it his arms and ammunition, or intended it as a means 
of escape should he be sorely pressed in his palace. 

On Palace street, near the church, and to one side of the 
Green, is a very old colonial residence of brick overrun 
with ivy and Virginia creeper. It was formerly the home 
of Chancellor George Wythe, a student of William and Mary 
College and professor of law at that institution. He was 
one of the commissioners to revise the statutes of Virginia 
in 1776, and a member of the Virginia Convention which 
ratified the Federal Constitution. He devised Virginia's 
seal. "It represents virtue, the tutelary goddess of the Com- 
monwealth, draped as an Amazon, bearing in one hand a 
spear and in the other a sword, trampling under foot ty- 
ranny, symbolized as a prostrate man, having near him a 
broken chain and a scourage, while his crown has fallen from 
his head. Above the figure of Virtue is the word 'Virginia/ 
and underneath the Motto — 'Sic semper tyrannis.' " 

This house was used as headquarters by Washington 
previous to the Yorktown campaign. 

Miss Ellen Glasgow in the "Voice of the People" made 
the old residence the home of Judge Bassett, one of the 
principal characters of her novel. 

Judge Wythe's sleeping room was the large chamber 
over the dining room. It is said that on the eighth of every 



66 (Mottial (Kaptiala of % 

June a cold white hand appears suddenly and presses the 
brow of whoever occupies the room. On moonlight nights 
George Washington's ghost appears in the hall, and the 
beautiful form of Mrs. Skipwith, formerly Elizabeth Byrd 
of Westover, can be seen descending the broad stairs. 

What is commonly known as the old "Debtor's Prison" 
is situated on the south side of Duke of Gloucester street, 
and just back of the Dirickson Bank. It is a small quaint 
brick building, a story and a half high. Though preserved 
by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiqui 
ties, its prison association is discredited by some. In a 
description of Williamsburg during Spotswood's time* 
(1710-23) it was said that near the Capitol "is a strong 
sweet prison for criminals and on the other side of an open 
court another for debtor's." This would place the "debtor's 
prison" at the other end of the town. 



(£xmvt i^nuBt 



On the next open green stands the Courthouse. It is 
distinguished from the other buildings by its long stone 
columnless porch, and high belfry, from which rang out the 
bell to call the patriots together in Eevolutionary 
times. This Hall of Justice was built in 1769. lit is 

*Hugh Jones' "Present State of Virginia." 




COURT HOUSE BUILT IN 1769. 





ilpllllliilfi^!;::!: 1 ^:; 10 



Sotmnum of Birgtma 67 

commonly supposed that Sir Christopher Wren was the archi- 
tect of this building as well as the college. As this famous 
man died in February 1723, the writer prefers to give the 
honor to a later day artist for fear that its past might appear 
a trifle too shadowy. Regardless of who its architect was, 
we value it for its age and associations, and it is a fitting 
monument to remind us of the famous jurists and states- 
men whose words and influence have been felt through more 
than a century and a quarter. 

®lj£ ffafator ifnrn 

Across the street from the Courthouse, there is a building 
familiar to every antiquarian and student, as it is one of the 
landmarks of colonial history. 

This quaint and antique structure is known as the Pow- 
der Horn, from its use and octagonal shape. 

It was built by act of the House of Burgesses in 1714, 
in the reign of George I, and during the administration of 
Governor Alexander Spotswood, who did so much for Vir- 
ginia. It is said he drew the plans for its construction with 
the idea in view of an armory and powder magazine. Its 
massive walls have a thickness of 22 inches. Surrounding 
it originally was a wall from 10 to 12 feet high, running par- 
allel to the sides at a distance of 21 feet. 

The events following the battle of Lexington, in which the 
Powder Horn figures very prominently, and which started 
rolling in Virginia the ball of Independence, originated to 



68 (Eolonial (Hapttals of the 

a great extent in the eloquence and acts of Patrick Henry, 
Pendleton, Washington, and their contemporaries. Of 
these guiding spirits and members of the first American 
Congress, Lord Chatham said, "It is doubtful if in the his- 
tory of mankind any body of men equal to these has ever 
existed." 

A few months prior to the beginning of hostilities in Vir- 
ginia, Lord Dunmore, then governor, very slyly had re- 
moved from the magazine, in the middle of the night, about 
twenty barrels of gunpowder belonging to the colony. It 
was carried to the schooner "Magdalen," anchored at Bur- 
well's Ferry in James river, four miles from the capital. 

When its removal was discovered the next day, the citizens 
were exceedingly alarmed and indignant. A message from 
the mayor, aldermen and council was addressed to the 
governor, telling him, in very strong language, their views 
of the matter. The governor's verbal answer was: "Hearing 
of an insurrection in a neighboring county, I have re- 
moved the powder from the magazine, where I do not think 
it secure, to a place of perfect security, and upon my word and 
honour, whenever it is wanted on an insurrection, it shall 
be delivered in half an hour; and I have removed it in the 
night time to prevent any alarm." 

However, the incident caused the greatest excite- 
ment and alarm throughout the colony. A company of 
more than 60 minutemen in Fredericksburg prepared to 
march to Williamsburg, but were dissuaded by Washington 
and Pendleton, who urged them to wait for Congress to 



Sommum of Utrrjmta 69 

decide the matter. They nevertheless signed a paper, 
pledging themselves to defend "Virginia or any sister Col- 
ony," and closed with the words, "God save the liberties of 
America." 

In the meanwhile, the patriotic and impetuous Patrick 
Henry, with 150 men, was making rapid marches from 
Hanover Courthouse to the capital and acquiring startling 
additions to his small army on the way. 

At the same time a detachment of sailors and marines 
from the British ship "Fowey" had arrived to guard the 
Governor's person, and a letter from the commander of the 
gun-boat to the president of the council, threatening to fire 
upon the town should the governor be molested or attacked. 

Immediate bloodshed was prevented by the arbitration of 
Colonel Carter Braxton. Dunmore paid to Henry 330 pounds 
sterling for the powder. The latter, giving a receipt bind- 
ing himself to turn it over to the Virginia delegates in Con- 
gress, went back to Hanover in peace. 

Very shortly after, some of the citizens of Williamsburg 
broke open the door of the magazine to examine its condition 
and get any arms or powder that mjight remain. Several 
barrels of powder buried under the floor seemed antagonistic 
to the "word and honour" of the governor, and the wounding 
of a young fellow by a concealed spring gun caused such a 
threatening demonstration that the wily Dunmore made 
hasty leave-taking and sought protection on board the man- 
of-war "Fowey," anchored at Yorktown. He very thought- 
fully notified the Burgesses that he would discharge his 



70 (Mutual Capitals of % 

functions as governor from his floating palace, but affairs 
seemed to run just as peacefully with the famous Committee 
of Safety at the helm of the Ship of State. 

He then tactfully turned his "olive-branch" into a fire- 
arm and began his series of depredations along the coast. 

Since those stirring events of the shadowy past, the old 
Powder Horn has had a varied experience. For a number 
of years it rang with the fire and eloquence of the good old 
Baptist parson, Eev. Servant Jones. When the good peo- 
ple moved out, it was kept joyous with the laughter and 
merriment of those who trod through the giddy maze of 
the waltz during its two years' service as a dancing school. 
It once more resumed its original use in 1861 when under 
the Confederates it was again an arsenal. After the war 
it was sold by the town it had guarded so faithfully. Mor- 
tifying to relate, it became a stable. It was finally pur- 
chased by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia An- 
tiquities, and, as a museum, recalls to the considerate visitor 
only those noble and inspiring memories of which it can 
never again be robbed. 



Srirk ijtffei 



This old building, facing Duke of Gloucester street, was 
used as the District Courthouse during the Civil War, and 
in ante-bellum days its ground floor served as a prison. 
In the space between it and the Powder Horn, there stood, 
until the last year or two, an old brick chimney, all that was 



Smtratum of Utrgtma 71 

left of the first Temple of Justice in Williamsburg. In 
1706, permission was given the people of "James Citty" 
county by the General Assembly to build the county court- 
house from the remaining brick ruins of the State House 
at Jamestown ; so when the old brick chimney was taken down, 
the link connecting the State House to Williamsburg was 
broken, and only the vacant lot remains to show the spot 
on which it stood. 

lapitai GJljurrij 

The high wall which formerly guarded the powder maga- 
zine was used by the Eev. Servant Jones for the foundation 
of the Baptist Church of Doric architecture, which is near. 
It was built in 1856 on this historic foundation. 

There are several quaint houses on both sides of Duke of 
Gloucester street, which belong to the pre-Eevolutionary pe- 
riod. Among them is a little low white cottage with a 
sloping roof and dormer windows. It is said that a little 
woman well known for her piety lived here. Nevertheless, 
when Colonel Tarleton and his raiders marched through the 
town, she stood at her door and cursed them until they were 
out of sight. 

Across the street, an old house of dark blue and red glazed 
bricks brings to mind the celebrated Mrs. Paradise, who 



72 doiomai (Eajriials of tly? 

in London entertained the Literary Club of Johnson, Gold- 
smith, and Sir Joshua Eeynolds. She is mentioned several 
times in Boswell's "Life of Johnson." 'Tis said that at an 
assembly in Williamsburg she met General Washington for the 
first time. She was so much impressed by his distinguished 
appearance and physique, that on returning home she beat 
her own husband because he was small and ugly. Her 
grandson, an Italian prince, was extremely impressed with 
the beauty of the women in the colonial capital, and ex- 
claimed to his interpreter, "How can such angels live in such 
hovels ?" 



At the east end of the street is a large gray brick resi- 
dence known as the "Vest House." Here Lafayette's officers 
were quartered as they halted on their way to Yorktown. 



Across from this, a small stuccoed yellow house with slant- 
ing roof and dormer windows is noticed. It was the old 
Chancery, or Clerk's Office, and is the only one of the govern- 
ment buildings remaining. 

laaartt ifall 

This colonial mansion is distinguished from the other old 
homes by the beautiful old-fashioned gardens surrounding 
it. The first alanthus trees in America were planted in these 
gardens. 

It was formerly the home of Judge Bassett, celebrated for 
his hospitality. Washington was a frequent guest at his 




BASSETT HALL. 



Srraratimt of Btrgtma 73 

home. It is said that while Thomas Moore, the Irish poet, 
was sitting on the piazza at dusk, he saw the flittering light 
of the fireflies for the first time, and penned the lines: 

TO THE FIREFLY. 

At morning when the earth and sky 
Are glowing with the light of spring, 
We see thee not, thou humble fly! 
Nor think upon thy gleaming wing. 

But when the skies have lost their hue, 
And sunny lights no longer play, 

Oh then we see and bless thee too 
For sparkling o'er the dreary way. 

Thus let me hope, when lost to me 
The lights that now my life illume, 

Some milder joys may come, like thee, 
To cheer, if not to warm, the gloom! 

This place was onee the home of John Tyler, president 
of the United States in 1841. 



The frame house on the northeast corner of Nicholson and 
England streets has the distinction of being the dwelling 
in which Lafayette was entertained during his visit to 
America after the Eevolution. His host was Dr. Peachey, 
some of whose descendants are still living in Williamsburg. 
A very elegant dinner and ball were given at the Raleigh 
Tavern by the citizens of Williamsburg in honor of their 
distinguished guest. 



Salnglj Qfaforn 



The site* of the old Raleigh Tavern brings back many 
memories "that haunt Thoughts' wilderness." This famous 

*Where Lane's store stands. 



74 (Eohmtal (Eapttala of the 

inn was a large frame building of two stories with dormer 
windows, according to the prevailing style of architecture. 
A metal bust of Sir Walter Ealeigh stood on a little portico 
over the door. The pedestal on which it rested is one of the 
curios in the museum of the Powder Horn. 

This old hostelry has witnessed many scenes of brilliant 
festivity and gayety. The Virginia Gazette contains 
numerous notices of entertainments and dinners. An 
October paper of 1768 gives a lengthy description of the 
arrival of the Eoyal Governor Botetourt, and his supping 
at the Tavern with his Council. Another paper, dated 
October 5th, 1768, gives the following quaint notice of a 
dinner: — "Yesterday, Peyton Eandolph Esq., our worthy 
representative, gave a genteel dinner at the Ealeigh Tavern, 
to the electors of this city, after which many loyal and 
patriotic toasts were drank, and the afternoon spent with 
cheerfulness and decorum." It was during a ball at the 
Tavern that the future author of the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence was rejected by the lovely Eebecca Burwell. 

The famous Apollo Eoom was not only the scene of 
revelry and mirth, but measures which have gone far towards 
protecting the liberties of America had their origin in the 
brains of the greatest men of the Eevolutionary epoch, 
assembled in that historic room. 

It was here in 1769, after the dissolving of the General 
Assembly by Lord Botetourt, that the members assembled 
and the famous Virginia "Non-Importation Agreement" 
was presented to the Burgesses by George Washington and 




RUINS OF THE HOUSE OF BURGESSES. 



Dmmtnmt nf Tf injuria 75 

drawn up by George Mason. Mounted men rode north, 
south, east, and west with copies of the Besolves, and 
everywhere the people endorsed and signed them. 

It was in this Tavern that they met after being dissolved 
in 1774 by Dunmore. The first of June had been appointed 
as a day of fasting and prayer by the Burgesses. The Gov- 
ernor disapproved and promptly dissolved the House, where- 
upon they met in the Ealeigh Tavern and took steps to- 
wards a general Congress. This celebrated house was 
burned in 1859. 

®!j? (Eaptttfl or %rxmt of Ihtrgraara 

The devastating touch of time has left only the founda- 
tions to mark the site of the first colonial capitol which took 
the place of the State House at Jamestown. A stone monu- 
ment erected by the Washington Branch of the Association 
for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities, on May 26, 
1904, bears the names of prominent men in its history. To 
the people of the grand old Commonwealth no memorial is 
necessary to perpetuate the deeds and splendid courage of 
their forefathers, for they shall endure throughout the 
ages in the minds and hearts of all loyal Americans. 

The site of this old House of Burgesses is directly oppo- 
site the College at the other end of the town. 

It was "built at the cost of the late queen (Anne) by the 
direction of the Governor," says an early writer, and he 
adds, "It is a noble, beautiful and commodious pile; in fact 



76 (Eokmtal (Eapitals of tlj* 

it is the best and most commodious pile of its kind that I 
have ever seen or heard of." 

For a number of years the use of fires, candles and tobacco 
was prohibited, probably on account of the frequent burn- 
ings of the State House and the College. Notwithstanding 
these precautions it was burned in 1746, rebuilt, and burned 
again in 1832, but as the seat of government had been moved 
to Eichmond in 1780 the old Capitol's days of glory and 
usefulness had passed away and it never again rose from 
its ashes. 

The old Speaker's chair and stove are still preserved in 
the State Capitol at Eichmond. Both are of very quaint 
design and carving. 

It was in this old House of Burgesses that George Wash- 
ington made his debut. After his heroic passage across the 
Delaware and through the wilderness, prior to the beginning 
of hostilities in the French and Indian War, he gave the 
message from St. Pierre to the Speaker of the House who 
expressed his admiration for his young countryman of 
twenty-one. Washington, blushing like a school girl, arose 
to make his maiden attempt, but had only stammered out a 
few sentences when he was interrupted by the Speaker, who 
cried out, "Sit down! Sit down, sir! Your modesty is 
equal to your valor, and that surpasses the power of any 
language that I possess." Only four years after the Brad- 
dock War Washington .married the beautiful and wealthy 
young widow Martha Custis, whom he had met in the 
colonial capital. It was later, when honor and fame had 



Stmrittum af Utrgmta 77 

crowned his brow, marching through the town at the head 
of his army on the way from Yorktown, that he caught a 
glimpse of the sweet face of Mrs. Edward Ambler, formerly 
Mary Cary, his youthful sweetheart. She was looking at 
the great general from a window in the capitol building 
and as he waved his handkerchief in greeting she fell back 
in a faint. She was said to have been very much like Mrs. 
Custis. Mrs. Ambler was a sister to Mrs. George Fairfax, 
and it was at the tetter's beautiful country home "Belvoir" 
on the Potomac that the young surveyor became conscious 
for the first time in his stripling years of the charm and 
loveliness of this young girl. A letter written by him at the 
age of sixteen tells what an impression was made on his 
heart from the outset of their acquaintance. It was written 
from "Belvoir" to another sweetheart, and reads : — 

"Dear Sally: — This comes to Fredericksburg fair in 
hopes of meeting with a speedy passage to you if you're not 
there, which I hope you'l get shortly, altho I am almost 
discouraged from writing to you, as this is my fourth to 
you since I received any from yourself. I hope you'll not 
make the old proverb good, out of sight out of mind, as it 
is one of the greatest pleasures I can yet forsee of having 
in Fairfax, in often hearing from you, hope you'l not deny 
me. 

I pass the tim|e much more agreeably than I imagined 
I should, as there's a very agreeable young lady lives in the 
same house where I reside (Colonel George Fairfax's wife's 
sister), that in a great measure cheats my sorrow and de- 
jectedness, tho not so as to draw my thoughts altogether 



78 (Mutual aiaptiais af tty 

from your parts. I could wish to be with you down there 
with all my heart but as a thing most impracticable shall 
rest myself where I am with hopes of shortly having some 
minutes of your transactions in your parts which will be 
very welcomely received by your Geo. "W." 

An old letter describing Washington's mother, "the rose 
of Epping Forest" in her lovely girlhood, and dated "W'ms- 
burg, ye 7th of Oct., 1722," reads, "Dear Sukey: — Madame 
Ball of Lancaster, and her Sweet Molly have gone Horn. 
Mamma thinks Molly the Comliest Maiden She know. She 
is about 16 yrs. old, is taller than Me, is very sensible, Modest 
and Loving. Her Hair is like unto flax. Her eyes are 
the color of yours and her Cheeks are like May blossoms. 
I wish you could See Her." 

It was while G-eorge Fairfax was a member of the Assem- 
bly in 1748 that he wooed and won Mass Sarah Cary. A 
letter addressed to his cousin Lord Thomas -Fairfax, an- 
nounces the event very briefly: — "Dear Cousin Tom, While 
attending at the General Assembly I have had several oppor- 
tunities of visiting Miss Carey, and finding her an amiable 
person, and to represent all the favorable reports, made of 
her, I addressed myself and having obtained the young lady's 
and the parents' consent we are to be married on the 17th 
inst." It was with George Fairfax that George Washington 
surveyed. 

Here in the old House of Burgesses the Committee of 
Correspondence originated under the leadership of the 
illustrious patriot Dabney Carr; here the famous Committee 



^m^^P^^i- 






^sm^JK^^^- h 






^V Jpi^ '' * ^p«j. fell 

'Wffp if III 
kJSr '; '. ft - ' 




JwiMP 


"~^~ ^^^^?PaS!P8^ 











HOME OF SARAH AND MAKY CAKY. 



Samtmrm of Utrgtma 79 

of Safety was organized about which Eichard Lee, in a 
letter to Washington, humorously writes, "I am sorry to 
grate your ears with the truth, but must at all events 
assure you that the Provincial Congrefs of ]STew York are 
angels of decifion when compared with your country-men, 
the Committee of Safety, afsembled at W'msburg. Page, 
Lee, Mercer, and Payne, are indeed exceptions, but from 
Pendleton, Bland, the Treasurer & Company, libera nos 
Domiine." 

The first formal opposition to the Stamp Act came from 
Patrick Henry. The room was crowded with the Burgesses 
dressed in their bright-colored silks and satins, dainty 
ruffled shirts, knee-breeches with silver buckles, and hair 
nicely powdered and tied with ribbon. What a contrast to 
"that lazy young rascal Patrick Henry" as he stood up in 
his coarse clothes, yarn stockings and unpowdered hair. The 
members began to laugh. Then that slouching figure 
straightened, his eyes grew bright, and with a voice as sweet 
as music, he made his famous speech against tyranny. The 
old room rang with the burning words, "Csesar had his 
Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the 

Third " Cries of "Treason ! Treason !" interrupted him, 

but fixing his eyes upon the Speaker of the House he con- 
tinued, "and George the Third may profit by their example. 
If this be treason, make the most of it." 

The members adjourned in great excitement. A man in 
the crowd clapped Henry on the shoulder as they pushed 
out and said "Stick to it, old fellow, or we are lost." The 



80 (Momai (Eapiials of t\\t 

advice was heeded, and the future governor of Virginia lived 
to thrill many an audience with the sway of his voice and 
the logic of his thought. So highly esteemed and loved did 
he become, that twenty-four years later, an old and feeble 
man, as he fell exhausted into the arms of his friends at 
the conclusion of his celebrated speech against forming the 
Union, one of the audience exclaimed, "The sun has set in 
all his glory." Another, writing of his last days, has well 
said, "The power of the noon-day sun was gone; but its 
setting splendors were not less beautiful and touching." 

As "young Jonny Eandolph" stepped up on the platform 
to take the place of one recognized as America's greatest 
orator, an old man exclaimed, "Tut ! Tut ! it won't do ! It's 
like the beating of an old tin pan after a fine church organ." 
Perhaps if the old man lived long enough, he found out 
that the "old tin pan" became celebrated too. 

In this old Capitol on May the 15th, 1776, just one hundred 
years after that first strike for freedom by Bacon at James- 
town, resolutions were presented, prepared by Edmund 
Pendleton, declaring the colony free and independent, and 
instructing the delegates in Congress to propose the same 
thing in that body. The resolutions were passed and read to 
the troops assembled at Williamsburg. 

It was here that the famous Virginia Eesolves, embody- 
ing the principle, "No taxation without representation," 
paved the way for the Bill of Eights, 'drawn up by George 
Mason on June 15, 1776, the Constitution of Virginia, and 
eventually the Declaration of Independence, embodying the 



Dimratum of Binjtttra 81 

same thought in the step toward freedom, that step which 
has been so far reaching upon the destiny of America. 

Of the Declaration of Independence it has been said, 
"From beginning to end it was the work of Virginia — A 
Virginia planter (Mason) conceived it; a Virginia lawyer 
(Jefferson) drafted it; and a Virginia soldier (George 
Washington) defended it and made it a living reality." It 
might be added that the courageous and noble patriot sol- 
diers who maintained it by their life's blood and the 
strength of American arms, gave to the whole world the 
principles of self-government; "All men are created equal. 
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are inalienable 
rights. Government derives its just power from the con- 
sent of the governed. The right of the people it is to abolish 
or alter any form of government destructive of their rights, 
safety, and happiness." 



B\tt of tttyeairr 



On the southeast corner of Blair Avenue, to one side of 
the Capitol ruins, is the site of the first theatre in America, 
built in 1716. The early numbers of the Virginia Gazette 
contain numerous notices of plays to be rendered. The 
Gazette of August 21, 1752, bears the notice, "We are 
desired to inform the Public, That as the Company of 
Comedians, lately from London, have obtain'd his Honour 
the Governor's Permission, and have with great Expense, 
entirely altered the Play House at Williamsburg to a regular 
Theatre, fit for the reception of Ladies and Gentlemen, and 
2 



82 Glohmtal Glapttate of t\p 

the Execution of their own Performances, they intend to 
open on the first Friday in September next, with a Play 
called The Merchant of Venice (written by Shakespeare) 
and a Farce, call'd The Anatomist, or Sham Doctor. The 
Ladies are desired to give timely Notice to Mr. Hallam, at 
Mr. Fisher's for their Places in the Boxes, and on the Day 
of Performance to send the Servants early to keep them, in 
order to prevent Trouble and Dissappointment." 

Another time appeared, "The Emperor of the Cherokee 
Nation with his Empress and their Son, the young Prince, 
attended by several of his Warriors and great Men and their 
Ladies, were received at the Palace by his Honour the Gov- 
ernor, attended by such of the Council as were in Town and 
several other Gentlemen, on Thursday, the 9th Instant, with 
the Marks of Civility and Friendship, and were that even- 
ing entertained at the Theatre, with the Play (The Tragedy 
of Othello) and a Pantomime Performance, which gave them 
great Surprise as did the fighting with naked Swords on the 
Stage, which occasioned the Empress to order some about 
her to go and prevent their killing one another." 

This London Company of Comedians which appeared in 
Williamsburg in 1752 was the first regular company of 
players to come to America. Lewis Hallam, Sr., was the 
manager. His small son of twelve made here his debut, 
which amounted to a burst of tears as he rushed off the 
stage, so frightened that he could not say his few lines. 

In 1771 they reappeared under a new name. The youthful 
actor was at his best. His beautiful cousin Sarah Hallam 



Sottmwm of Utrgtma 83 

took the leading parts. With a face "like "unto Cytherea's," 
and the "form of Diana/' she charmed her distinguished 
audiences night after night. The diary of Washington 
proves that he was a very frequent attendant, and an old 
letter of another admirer of the drama states that after 
going to the play for eleven consecutive nights, Miss Hallam 
was "superfine." 

Mr. Peter Pelham, "Organist of the Church in the City 
of Williamsburg/' rendered the musical accompaniments. 

This lovely actress lived in Williamsburg for many years 
and had a fashionable dancing and boarding school for young 
ladies. Her advertisement in the Gazette of August 18, 
1775, reads, "The Subscriber begs leave to acquaint the ladies 
and gentlemen that on Friday next, at Mr. Blovet Pasteur's, 
in this city, she intends to open a Dancing School, and hopes 
to be favored with the instruction of their daughters in that 
genteel accomplishment. As she is resolved to spare no 
pains with her scholars, she does not doubt of being able 
to give entire satisfaction. The days for teaching are friday's 
and Saturday's, every week; and her price is 20 s. at en- 
trance, and 4 £ a year. 

Sarah Hallam." 

If urn? of jffegiim EattMplj 

Peyton Kandolph, the first president of the Continental 
Congress, spent most of his life in Williamsburg, and, as 
previously stated is buried under the college chapel. A long 



84 (ftaUmtal (ftapttala of tip 

white house on Francis street still bears the plate — "Home 
of Peyton Eandolph Attorney-General of Virginia, Speaker 
of the House of Burgesses, First President of the Continen- 
tal Congress, Born 1722, Died 1775/' 



QJamudl ifaU 



This old colonial residence at the south end of England 
street was formerly the home of Sir John Eandolph and his 
nephew, Edmund Eandolph. The house is colonial in de* 
sign. The interior is beautifully finished with hand-carved 
wainscoting of mahogany, and the spacious halls and rooms 
are delightfully inviting. Edmund Eandolph was educated 
at William and Mary College. This distinguished states- 
man was Virginia's first attorney-general after the Eevolu- 
tion, and later her governor, and secretary of state. He 
was married in 1776, and the Virginia Gazette of that date 
gives the quaint announcement — "Edmund Eandolph Esq. 
Attorney-General of Virginia, to Miss Betsey Nicholas, a 
young lady whose amiable sweetness of disposition, joined 
with the finest intellectual accomplishments, cannot fail of 
rendering the worthy man of her choice completely happy. 

Fain would the aspiring muse attempt to sing, 

The virtues of this amiable pair, 
But how shall I attune the trembling string, 
Or sound a note which can such worth decPre. 
Exalted theme! too high for common lays! 
Could my weak verse with beauty be inspired 
In numbers smooth I'd chant my Betsy's pra'se 
And tell her how much her Randolph is admired. 
To light the hymenial torch since they've resolved 
Kind Heaven I trust will make them truly blest, 
And when the Gordian shall be dissolv'd, 
Translate them to eternal peace and rest." 




peyton Randolph's home. 



,'' 




TAZEWELL HALL. 



Iliratittum of Utrgtma 85 

5ty? lirgmia (&txz?tti> 

This was the first newspaper in Virginia and among the 
earliest in the colonies. It was established at Williamsburg 
August 6th, 1736. The first copies were one sheet, 12 by 
6, and sold for 15 s. ($3.75) per year. According to the cus- 
tom of that early day, the announcements of a wedding were 
nearly always accompanied by a verse. One reads — "On 
Sunday last, Mr. Beverly Dixon to Miss Polly Saunders, a 
very agreeable young lady, — 

Hymen, thy brightest torch prepare 
Gild with light the nuptial bower. 
With garlands crown this lovely pair. 
On them thy choicest blessing shower. 

Here no sordid interest binds, 
But truest innocence and love 
Combined unite their spotless minds 
And seal their vows above." 

Another is written — 

Her's the mixed lustre of the bloomin morn, 
And his the radiance of the rising day: 
Long may they live, and mutually possess, 
A steady love and genuine happiness. 

The Gazette of April 13th, 1768, states, "A hog was brought 
to town this week from Sussex as a show, raised by Mr. 
Henry Tyler there, who, though only four years old, is near 
3y 2 ft. high, about 9% ft. long, & it is supposed weighs 
near 1200 lbs. He much exceeds any animal of the kind 
ever raised on this continent, and indeed, we do not remem- 
ber to have heard of any so large in England." 



86 (Mutual Capitals af % 

During 1862, when the town was in possession of the 
Federals, the Gazette was published under the new name, 
"Cavalier" with the motto "The Union forever and freedom 
for all." A poem published at that time, and from which 
we quote two verses, reads : — 

"The shades of night were falling fast 
As through a Southern village passed, 
A youth who bore not over nice 
A banner with the gay device 

'Skedaddle' 

His hair was red, his toes beneath 
Peeped like an acorn from its sheath, 
While with a frightened voice he sung 
A burden strange to Yankee tongue 

'Skedaddle,' " 

This last line sounds contradictory to the story told on 
Gen. Pope, who always bragged that he should never see any- 
thing but the backs of his enemies. It seemed that the Con- 
federates gave him a surprise one night and he decided to 
leave his papers and coat behind. The latter was seized by 
Gen. J. E. B. Staurt and sent to Eichmond with the label 
attached, "Taken from the man who never expected to see 
anything but the backs of his enemies." 



nmttxt tttetnpl? 



On Francis street there is a very dilapidated two-story 
frame house with a tiny cupola. It has the distinction of 
being an ancient Masonic temple. The first grand lodge of 
Virginia was organized within its walls. 




OLD MASONIC TEMPLE. 




EASTERN STATE HOSPITAL 1768 



Hommtott nf Hinjtttta 87 

In the Masonic rooms used at the present day there is an 
antique and richly carved mahogany chair presented to the 
lodge by the colonial governor, Lord Botetourt. It was 
used by Washington for his first inauguration, and by Presi- 
dent Arthur at the presentation of the monument at York- 
town. 

Santera S>UU l^ptiai 

This Institution is situated on Francis street and sur- 
rounded by a beautiful park of sixteen acres. 

An act passed by the House of Burgesses in November 
1769, in the tenth year of the reign of George III, "To make 
provision for the support and maintenance of idiots, luna- 
tics, and other persons of unsound minds," inaugurated one 
of the pioneer charities of America, and the oldest institu- 
tion for the insane on the western continent. 

From a two-story building of twenty-eight rooms, com- 
pleted in 1773, it has been so changed and enlarged that to-day 
nine commodious buildings, with every modern improvement 
and equipment, have been substituted. The original struc- 
ture was burned in June 1885. 

A m.ap of Williamsburg in the College library, dated 1780, 
designates the hospital as the "Mad House" or "Bedlam," 
showing the popular theory concerning diseased minds at 
that early date. A letter in the library of William and Mary 
College written in 1801 gives an idea of the treatment of 
the insane at that time. It reads in part — 

"Winchester, July 31, 1801. 



(Enhmtal Okptiala of tlj? 

My Good Friend: — 

For the first time I take up my pen with reluctance — as 
I have nothing to communicate that will afford pleasure — 
well knowing the anxiety of your good heart — I will attempt 
to give you an account of my poor Brother's situate. Alas 
Madam — when I last wrote my beloved friend — little did I 
expect to find him perfectly Insane — On my arrival in 
Charlestown, I found him, Oh heavens — in chains — and I 
am sorry to add his situation demanded the inhumane alter- 
native — when I rode up to the House — I heard the clanking 
of chains — knowing it to be my Brother — you my Dr. 
Madam — can better delineate my feelings than I can describe 
them — He appears pleased and exults in his chains — calls 
himself French — and says he is one of the happiest men on 
earth — which I believe not knowing his situation — 

He is in one of Uncle H 's houses, in Charlestown 

very private — with a good attendant — his Physicians admit 
no one to see him but his particular friends — which I also 
think highly improper — even his nearest connections ought 
not to seen him until the disease takes a change — he has lost 
one hundred and forty ozs. of blood within this ten days — 
and with pleasure I can inform you, it has had some happy 
effects — he is much more calm than usual — 

The Physicians agree that Love is the sole cause of his 
situation — his whole conversation is on the Ladies — and he 

would dwell forever on the name of Mrs. and wishes 

me to purchase her from Tom — He has been in Baltimore 
in this situation — and I am told nearly killed two men — 
run his horse thro the streets under the whip — and God only 




MARTHA WASHINGTON'S KITCHEN. 



iomintoH nf Birgmta 89 

- ^^_^ - _^^___IL1^^01JLlLUimiM.1IM— ^^Ml ■lllllll l" — — — — — — — » ——^— »— ^»^»^ 

knows what he has been guilty off — My good Sister P — 
never leaves him — my Dr. Parents — know nothing of his con- 
finement — nor my sister McG — He will be better, his disease 
is like all others within the power of the Physicians — I 
have wrote to Dr. Bush and stated his disease — the cause 
&c — I visit him again accompanied by Dr. Conrad — Th 
(letter is torn here) will be as short as the Physicians think 
their presence rather injure than aleviate — I have not been 
from his side for eight days — and I cannot help indulging 
him — tho know it to be improper — " 



nx Ctjtmtttg Hot 



This lot is included in the eastern portion of the Hospital 
park. On it there stood formerly a stately mansion occu- 
pied by Washington and his wife for a short while during 
their early married life. Mrs. Washington was distinguished 
among the belles, who graced the vice-regal courts of the 
colonial governors Gooch and Dinwiddie, for her beauty 
and intellect. Her marriage to Washington was celebrated 
in her home in New Kent on the Pamunkey river, in the 
adjoining county to James City. 

The brick kitchen, also the elm tree said to be planted by 
Mrs. Washington's own hands, are all that the lovers of 
romance have to remind them of the honeymoon spent in 
Williamsburg. 



It is with wonder and admiration that we recall the wis- 
dom and foresight of the illustrious men of the Old Domin- 
ion. Perhaps no other town of its size so vividly recalls the 



90 Gkiotttal (Eapttais af tip 

splendid courage and attainments of our forefathers as this 
old colonial capital of Williamsburg. 

Carter (&tob? 

On the banks of the James river about six miles from 
Williamsburg, there is a large plantation known as Carter's 
Grove. This estate was originally owned by Eobert Carter, 
familiarly known as "King Carter/' and was a part of the 
parish of Martin's Hundred established in 1618. The 
beautiful and commodious colonial mansion on the place was 
built in 1722-30 by Carter Burwell, "King Carter's" grand- 
son. A more beautiful location for the dwelling could not; 
be found. It is on the brow of a hill overlooking James 
river. The view extends into the counties of Surry and Isle 
of Wight on the opposite side of the James river, while 
Hog Island, sometimes called "Homewood," and a point of 
the historic Jamestown island are easily distinguishable by 
the naked eye. The latter island is only six miles off and 
is readily reached by sail boat. It was only a short distance 
from Carter's Grove, that Lord Delaware, ascending the river 
to Jamestown on May the 10th, 1610, met the starving 
settlers as they were embarking for England with Sir Thomas 
Gates and Admiral Somers. Delaware persuaded them to 
return to Jamestown with him, thus preventing the extinc- 
tion of English civilization in America. 

The mansion is of old blue and red glazed brick, and 
presents a noble appearance. It is approached by a pic- 
turesque lane bordered with ancient cedars and locust trees. 



Homtmott of Hinjittta 91 

The lawn in the back is well terraced and shaded with old 
trees. 

The interior of the house is distinguished by the spacious- 
ness of the hall and rooms, and the quaint paneling of beau- 
tiful wood, extending up to the ceiling. On the banisters 
of the broad staircase several sabre cuts are noticeable. They 
were made by Colonel Tarleton's troopers during the Eevo- 
lution, and it is said that his raiders actually rode their 
horses up the steps. They were so impatient for a taste of the 
pies for which the housewife was famous, that one of the 
officers ripped open the large mahogany sideboard with his 
sabre. This beautiful old mansion was formerly the home 
of the lovely and fascinating Eebecca Burwell. While 
Thomas Jefferson and Jacqueline Ambler were students at 
William and Mary College, they both became very much en- 
amored over this charming young girl. The red-headed, sandy- 
haired, young Thomas Jefferson was celebrated for his "fid- 
dling," and perhaps the sentimental thoughts of this lovelorn 
youth were often sung to the lovely Belinda. Once in planning 
a trip to Europe he decided to build his own boat, naming it 
"Eebecca," and on his voyage to sail to Italy to procure a 
new fiddle. It is said that almost the only verse that he ever 
penned was addressed to this young girl, and in a letter to 
his bosom friend, John Page, he wrote, "If Belinda will not 
accept my services they shall never be offered to another." 

It was during a ball at the Ealeigh Tavern in Williams- 
burg that Jefferson offered his love to Eebecca Burwell for 
the last time. In another letter to John Page he says, "In 



92 (Uoiomal (Eapttate of % 

the most melancholy fit that ever any poor soul was, I sit 
down to write to you. Last night, as merry as agreeable 
company and dancing with Belinda in the Apollo could make 
me, I never could have thought the succeeding sun would 
have seen me so wretched as I now am ! I was prepared to 
say a great deal. I had dressed up in my own mind, such 
thoughts as occurred to me in as moving language as I knew 
how, and expected to have performed in a tolerably creditable 
manner. But, good God! When I had an opportunity of 
venting them, a few broken sentences, uttered in great dis- 
order, and interrupted with pauses of uncommon length, 
were the two visible marks of my strange confusion !" 

Nevertheless the "pen of Virginia," and the future author 
of the Declaration of Independence, was rejected for his 
more fortunate rival, Jacqueline Ambler, the "Aristotle of 
Virginia." 

This historic house and estate is now the home of Dr. E. 
G-. Booth, who is celebrated for his Virginia hospitality, and 
when the old sideboard is subjected to a modern raid, pies 
as delicious as those of old are brought to view. 

On the historic road to Yorktown there can be noticed a 
line of entrenchments through which the road cuts about a 
mile and a half from Williamsburg. The locality is known 
as Fort Magruder, in honor of the gallant general who com- 
manded the confederates in the battle of Williamsburg 
fought along this road on May the 5th, 1862. The Union 



Smtratum of Btrgwia 93 

forces were commanded by General McClellan. The battle 
though short, was exceedingly bloody and was one of the most 
important fought during the Civil War, as the fate of Eich- 
mond, the Confederate capital, depended on the result. 

A marble tablet on the walls of Bruton Church in Wil- 
liamsburg bears the simple inscription: — 

"In memory of 

the 

Confederate 

Soldiers 

who fell in the 

Battle of Williamsburg 

May the 5th, 1862 

and of those who died of 

the wounds received in 

the same. 

They died for us." 

A granite monument, and a number of small stone slabs 
in the graveyard surrounding the church, mark the graves 
of those who wore the gray. 



About half way between Williamsburg and Yorktown a 
little stream known as Black Swamp has to be crossed. 
Tradition says that in colonial days a bridal party in a 
coach of four were crossing the stream when the horses got 
caught in the quicksand. None of the party was seen 
again, and it is claimed the place has been haunted ever 
since. 




"Si is sweet to linger Ijere. among 
% flittering biroa 

And leaning squirrels, wandering 
bronks, ana brinoa 

®l?at aijakr tlje leasee, ana scatter, 
as iljeu. pass, 

A fragranrr from ibe redara, tljirklu, 

0fft 

Wtttj uale blue berrira. iln ttjear 
peaceful alfadea — 

peaceful, unpinned, inttneasarablg 
old— 

fHg tljougljts gn up life long dim 
patlj of years, 

Hark to tlje earliest dags nf libertg" 



w* ** f arkf ohm ^ ^ 



4? W? r|? 




N 1634 the colony of Virginia was divided 
into eight counties, and Charles Eiver county 
was created. This county included a num- 
ber of plantations on York river, among 
them Ultimaria and Bellfield. The name of 
this county was afterwards changed to York. 
Court was first held at the different large 
plantations; later at a place called York, 
established by the colonial governor, Sir John 
Harvey. About 1676 it convened at the 
"Half-way House," on the road between 
Williamsburg and Yorktown. 

In 1619, fifty acres of an estate on York river were 
bought from Benjamin Eeade, and "Yorke Towne" was laid 
out. Here court sat in 1698, though the town was not es- 
tablished by law until 1705. The original seal is still 
preserved. 

The situation of the village is on the brow of a hill over- 
looking a fine harbor. The view extends into Chesapeake 
bay, and for a number of miles across the neighboring county 
of Gloucester. This dilapidated village of scarcely more than 
one hundred and fifty inhabitants, including about twelve 
white families, formerly enjoyed an extensive trade with the 
West Indies, and other islands and countries. 



98 Ololnmai Olapttala of tip? 

A very old Custom House built in 1715, the first and 
oldest in the United States, is still pointed out to visitors 
to the historic town. 

On the high bank of the river is a tiny stone-marle Epis- 
copal church. The first church was built in 1697. Governor 
Francis Nicholson, who laid out the town of Williamsburg, 
gave 20 £ towards its construction. This church was de- 
stroyed by fire in 1814, but has since been rebuilt. Its old 
bell, bearing the inscription, "County of York, Virginia, 
1725," still calls the worshipers together, as of old. 

To one side of this sacred edifice is the burial ground of 
the Nelsons, a family very intimately associated with the 
history of the town. 

Titian Sfawrn 

One of the first buildings to greet the eye, as the visitor 
passes down Main street, is the celebrated old Swan 
Tavern. The original inn was built in 1722 and burned 
during the Civil War. It was said to be the oldest tavern 
in Virginia at that time. Only the name and foundation 
remain to link it to the present building. An original paper 
of rules and regulations is in the possession of the present 
proprietor. After a careful notice of the rates, it ends with 
the following request: — "As the house is not intended to 



Inmutum of Birgtma 99 

be a place of lazy, unprofitable resort, mere loungers are 
requested to keep away; and all who come only to idle their 
time at the fire in the winter, or to gulp down ice water in 
the summer, will be charged daily twenty-five cents each. 
Rude, noisy or intoxicated persons will not be tolerated on 
any terms. 

1752 Robert Anderson." 

ly Nelson iixxmt 



The old Nelson House, the most prepossessing in the 
village, brings to mind one of the most courteous, high- 
minded, and patriotic men of the Revolutionary period. 

The house was built in 1740-41 by President William Nel- 
son, son of the founder of the Nelson family in Virginia, 
Thomas Nelson I, often known as "Scotch Tom, the emi- 
grant." It is said that the corner stone was laid by General 
Thomas Nelson of Revolutionary fame. He was a toddling 
baby at that time, but the brick was passed through his tiny 
hand. 

The house is a large two-story brick building with stone 
trimmings, fronting the river. Surrounded with an old- 
fashioned garden, bordered with boxwood, it presents a very 
picturesque effect. The halls and rooms are very spacious and 
beautiful. When General Lafayette visited Yorktown the house 
was turned over to the committee for his entertainment. 
During the Civil War when Yorktown was occupied by the 
Confederates under General Magruder, the house was used 



100 (Hfllotuai (Eaptfetls nf t\p 

by them for a hospital and, for sanitary reasons, the beauti- 
ful wainscoting of the interior was whitewashed. Inserted 
in the wainscoting of the dining room is a secret panel, and 
two secret rooms are connected with the garret. 

It was directly in line with the range of the American 
guns during the siege, and was used as headquarters by Corn- 
wallis. Three cannon balls have left impressions on the east 
gable. One is embedded in the brick. Another left a large 
open hole where it went crashing through the southeast 
corner, entered the dining room, tore off two panels of wain- 
scoting, and shattered the marble mantel. 

General Nelson owned another mansion on the outskirts 
of the town, in the direction of Temple Farm. When hostilities 
began, it was soon discovered that the house contained a nest 
of British soldiers. The General commanded the Virginia 
Militia of 3,200, and they naturally evinced a great reluct- 
ance to fire into the home of their commander, whereupon 
with great disinterestedness he offered a reward of five 
guineas to the man who should fire the first shot. A ball 
went crashing through the roof and very shortly the house 
was in ruins. Hardly a trace of it remains. 

This most patriotic of Virginia's sons gave liberally to 
the cause of freedom. His own army was fed entirely dur- 
ing the siege at Yorktown by the use of his own credit. 
When two Virginia regiments were ordered to the Carolinas, 
before the soldiers started, he gave them all of their back pay 
due, out of his own private fortune; and again, when the 
security of the old Commonwealth was not sufficient to bor- 
row two million dollars with which to carry on the war, 



Sflmttwm of Btrgutta 101 

Kelson added his personal security to that of the State, and 
in this way a large proportion of the sum was raised. He 
was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, 
a member of the House of Burgesses, and Governor of Vir- 
ginia, succeeding Jefferson. 

A few remaining houses, bearing a liberal allowance of 
bullet holes, help us to realize that this dilapidated village 
witnessed the breaking of the last link in the chain that 
bound America to the mother country England, and the 
events which were here enacted hastened the day when a 
chord of love was substituted, for the betterment of both 
countries. 



The entrenchments made by the British are still compara- 
tively perfect, and judging from their height and solidity 
they bid fair to remain for many more generations. These 
redoubts in some places are very thickly overgrown with 
broom straw. The seed to this plant was said to be brought 
over from England in the hay, and the fields around York- 
town are very thick with its graceful stalks. 

Notwithstanding Earl Cornwallis' strategy and boast that 
the foolish boy, Lafayette, could not escape him, the young 
Frenchman had succeeded in getting the English general 
well hemmed up in the little town by the 27th of September, 
1781. A heavy cannonade from the British ushered in the 
siege. The American army was encamped only a mile from 
Cornwallis' lines. The French were about the same distance 
and to the left of the Americans. 



102 (Mutual OlapttalB of tip 

On the 29th, several redoubts of the British on the western 
outskirts of the town were evacuated and occupied the next 
day by the investing forces. Intermittent firing continued 
until the completion of the American redoubts on the 9th 
of October. From then until through the 16th, a terrific 
cannonade by both armies with over three hundred pieces of 
artillery was kept up almost incessantly. Dr. Thatcher, a 
surgeon of Washington's army, has left an interesting account 
of the siege. He said that during these six days the car- 
casses of six or seven hundred horses could be seen floating 
down the river every day, showing to what straits for food 
the British were put. A realistic picture of a bursting shell 
is given in the following extract — "When a shell falls, it 
whirls around, burrows, and excavates the earth to a con- 
siderable extent, and, bursting, makes dreadful havoc around/' 

Many anecdotes are told of the solicitude of General 
Washington's friends for his safety during this time. Once 
when a shell exploded very near, one of his aids stepped up 
and said, "Sir, you are too much exposed here, had you not 
better step a little back?" Washington replied very quickly, 
"Colonel Cobb, if you are afraid, you have liberty to step 
back." 

Another time a ball rolled almost at his feet and General 
Knox remonstrated, "Mfy dear General, we can't spare you 
yet." "It is a spent ball and no harm is done," answered 
Washington without moving. 

One of the chaplains of the American army was a clergy- 
man by the name of Evans. One day he was standing with 



SmtttttUm nf Hinjima 103 

the General and his staff in a very exposed position, when a 
ball struck the ground near and scattered some of the earth 
upon the clergyman's hat. It alarmed him greatly, and he 
evidently showed his terror in his countenance as he turned 
to Washington with his hat off, saying, "See this, General !" 
"You had better show your hat to your wife and children," 
replied the great commander. Col. Alexander Hamilton 
commanded a small battery and, before storming a very 
difficult redoubt, made a thrilling speech to the men under 
him. A group of officers standing near heard every word. 
One of them turned to another and said, "Did you ever hear 

such a speech?" "With such a speech I could storm " 

came the reply. 

On the night of October 16th, Cornwallis, realizing that 
nothing but escape could save him, attempted to cross the 
river to Gloucester Point, expecting to demolish the small 
French force encamped there to watch Col. Tarleton's troops, 
and to move off in full retreat until a junction could be 
formed with Sir Henry Clinton in New York. A portion of 
his army had crossed, and another detachment was on its 
way over when a terrible storm of wind and rain, springing 
up suddenly, nearly annihilated the whole company, obliging 
them to give up the attempt. 

On the 17th the British sent a flag of truce which resulted 
in the surrender on the 19 th. 

A high stone monument, beautifully sculptured, stands in 
an open field near the river, and bears a faithful record of 
the events enacted around this historic town, the result of 



104 (Eoiotriai (Eapttals of tlj? 

which is expressed in the sculptured words, "One destiny, 
one country, one constitution." The act to erect the monu- 
ment was adopted by Congress October, 29th, 1781, and ap- 
proved June 7th, 1880. 

On the south side of this obelisk is engraved, 

"At York on October 19, 1781, after a siege of 19 days 
by 5500 American and 7000 French troops of the line, 3500 "Virginia 

Militia. 
Under command of General Thomas Nelson, and 36 French ships of 

war 
Earl Cornwallis, commander of the British Forces at York 
and Gloucester surrendered his army 7251 officers and men 
840 seamen, 244 cannon and 24 standards. 
To His Excellency George Washington 
commander-in-chief of the combined forces of America and France. 

To His Excellency the Comte de Rochambeau 
commanding the auxiliary troops of his most christian majesty ir 

tlmerica. 
And to His Excellency the Oomte de Grasse 
commanding in chief the naval reserves of France in Chesapeake." 

On the north side of the monument it is explained that — 

"The provisional articles of peace concluded November 30, 1782. 
And the definite treaty of Peace concluded September 3, 1783 

Between the United States of America 
And George III King of Great Britain and Ireland 

Declare 
His Britannic Majesty acknowledges the said United States Vis. — 
New Hampshire, Massachusettes Bay, Rhode Island and Providence 
Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 
Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina 
and Georgia, to be free soverign and independent states." 

In the field which joins the town on the south the surren- 
der took place. Dr. Thatcher, the surgeon who witnessed it, 
has said in his account, "The French troops, in complete 
uniform, displayed a martial and a noble appearance; their 
band of music, of which the timbrel formed a part, is a de- 
lightful novelty, and produced, while marching to the 



iommum nf Btrgtma 105 

ground, a most enchanting effect." According to tradition 
the march rendered was, "The world's turned upside down." 
"The Americans, though not all in uniform, nor their dress 
so neat, yet exhibited an erect, soldierly air, and every counte- 
nance beamed with satisfaction and joy. The concourse of 
spectators from the country was prodigious, in point of 
numbers, probably equal to the military; but universal 
silence and order prevailed. It was about two o'clock when 
the captive army advanced through the line formed for their 
reception. Every eye was prepared to gaze on Lord Corn- 
wallis, the object of peculiar interest and solicitude; but he 
dissappointed our anxious expectations; pretending indis- 
position, he made Gen. O'Hara his substitute as the leader 
of his army. This officer was followed by the conquered 
troops in a slow and solemn step, with shouldered arms, 
colors cased, and drums beating a British march. Having 
arrived at the head of the line, Gen. O'Hara, elegantly 
mounted, advanced to his Excellency, the commander-in- 
chief, taking off his hat, and apologized for the non-appear- 
ance of Earl Cornwallis." 

The British threw down their arms very angrily until 
stopped by Gen. Lincoln. 

After the formalities of the surrender were over, Col. Tarl- 
eton, riding a splendid animal, and in company with a num- 
ber of French officers, with whom he was to dine, was halted 
by one of the citizens of the town and the horse he was rid- 
ing demanded by its owner. The colonel was advised by one 
of the officers that it would be best to dismount, so he com- 
plied with the request of the animal's owner, and greatly to 



106 ©fltomai (Hapttals of ilp» 

his own chagrin, mounted a very ordinary beast and re- 
joined his companions, who promptly laughed over his dis- 
comfiture. 



In recalling the events centered around this historic vil- 
lage, in fancy we might rise with Benjamin Franklin and 
drink to his celebrated toast — "Here's to George Washington, 
the Joshua of America, who commanded the sun and moon 
to stand still, and they stood still." 



otemple 3farm 



This farm is three-quarters of a mile from Yorktown. It 
is chiefly noted because the terms of the surrender were 
drawn up and signed in the parlor of the house on the place. 
The building is a low, rambling, frame structure of quaint 
design and is frequently called the "Moore House," after its 
owners at that time. It is situated on a high bluff of the 
river and has a beautiful lawn of some 300 yards, sloping 
down to the water. 

Though outside of the strong redoubts, a line of en- 
trenchments runs through a part of the farm. 

The house was built in 1713, and it is claimed that it was 
the summer home of the colonial governor, Alexander Spots- 
wood. Dr. W. Shield, who owned the place in 1834, in a 
letter to Bishop Meade,* said that in one of the old bury- 

*Bishop Meade's "Old Churches and Families of Virginia." Vol I, 
p. 227. 




MOORE HOUSE ON TEMPLE FARM. 



itfjtrotum of Utr^tma 107 

ing grounds, known as the Temple, he found several frag- 
ments of stone which, placed together, spelled the governor's 
name. It is a well known fact that Spotswood died at Anna- 
polis just as he was undertaking a long journey. Consider- 
ing the wildness of the country and the danger attached to 
traveling at that time, it is more reasonable to suppose that 
the remains were brought back by boat and interred at Temple 
Farm, instead of undertaking a long journey by land to the 
governor's other home at Germanna on the Kapidan river. 

This so-called Temple is in one of the fields, about one- 
fourth of a mile from the house, and on the margin of the 
forest. 

It is entirely in ruins, but the traces remaining indicate 
a round edifice, surrounded a few yards distant by a wall. 
It is probable that it was a place of worship, a burial ground, 
and a defence against Indian attack, all in one. The only 
legible tombstone remaining is a flat slab with the insignia 
of heraldry and the following inscription: 

Major William Gooch, 

Dyed October 29th, 1655. 

Within this tomb there doth interred liej 

No shape, but substance, true nobility: 

Itself though young in years, but twenty-nine, 

Yet graced with nature's Morall and divine. 

The church from him did good participate, 

In counsil rare, fit to adorn a state. 

All around this bit of mysterious ground are traces of an 
ancient settlement. There is another old graveyard in a field 
near the house. 



108 <M0tttal (Eajritals nf % 

nmxmmmxxm 

In the neighborhood of Yorktown there were formerly 
several Indian settlements, prominent among which were 
Chiskiack and Werowocomoco. The precise location of 
Werowocomoco has been the subject of much discussion by 
historians. It was first fixed at "Shelly," a country home on 
the Gloucester side of York river. The latest and most in- 
disputable theory is that it was on Portan bay, on the north 
side of York river, several miles beyond Shelly. Smith 
speaks of his adventures and visits to the Indian chief Pow- 
hatan quite frequently, but is never very accurate in respect to 
distance. "At Werowocomoco," he says, "on the north side 
of the river Pamunkee (York) was his (Powhatan's) resi- 
dence, when I was delivered him prisoner, some 14 myles 
from James Towne, for the most part, he was resident."* 

The place is chiefly noted on account of the romantic 
rescue of Capt. John Smith by Powhatan's daughter Matoa, 
or Pocahontas. Smith tells the incident very briefly in his 
"Generall Historie." He says "A long consultation was held, 
the conclusion of which was" that "two great stones were 
brought before Powhatan, as many as could, laid hands on 
him, dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head; and 
being ready with their clubs to beat out his brains, Poca- 
hontas, the King's dearest daughter, when no entreaty could 
prevail, got his head in her arms, laid her own upon his to 
save him from death; whereat the Emperor was content he 

*Book II, page 142, Smith's "Generall Historie." 



Smtmwm of Binjima 109 

should live to make him hatchets and her bells, beads, and 
copper; for they thought him as well of all occupations as 
themselves." 

Numerous incidents are told of the bravery of this Indian 
girl, and many times she braved the wrath of the Indian 
king in order to warn the white men, who came for corn 
and food, of treachery on the part of her father. 

A great many anecdotes are told of the Indian chieftain, 
Powhatan. Once when he was asked to come to Jamestown 
to receive some presents recently received from England, he 
sent this reply, "This is my country and I am as great a 
king as your own. If you wish to see me come to my home." 
So here to Werowocomoco came Newport and Smith, bring- 
ing the presents, a crown, scarlet robe, bed, basin, and pitcher. 
The old chieftain objected very much to bending his head 
•tp. receive the crown, but was quite delighted with the other 
# gifts. After arraying himself in the new robe, he gathered 
up his old clothes, and handing the bundle to Newport direc- 
ted that it be sent to the king of England with his compli- 
ments. 

The Indians knew very little about figures and could sel- 
dom count without the aid of their fingers or some small ob- 
jects. It is told that Powhatan once sent one of his war- 
riors over to England to bring him back the exact number 
of white people in that land. 



At Jamestown we find the birthplace of the American 
Nation, at Williamsburg was sounded the prelude of liberty 



110 (Enlmual Capitals nf ttye Inminfcm of Btrgittta 

by the sweet voice of Patrick Henry, and at Yorktown the 
last chord of the Grand Finale was struck with such force by 
Washington and Lafayette, that it will never cease to echo 
liberty. 



VI 



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